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^LIBRARY OF CONGR] 

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[TNITED STATES OF AMBR] 



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DE LAMARTINE. 



NARRATIVE 



* 5 L ^ 



OF THE RESIDENCE OF 



FATALLA SAYEGHIR 



AMONG THE 



WANDERING ARABS OF THE GREAT DESERT: 



COLLECTED AND TRANSLATED BY THE CARE OF 

M. DE LAMARTINE. 




PHILADELPHIA: 

CAREY, LEA & BLANCHARD. 

1836. 



ADVERTISEMENT 

OF THE AMERICAN PUBLISHERS. 



In presenting to the public the curious and inte- 
resting Narrative of Fatalla Sayeghir, it is proper to 
explain that it formed an appendix to the English 
edition of "De Lamartine's Pilgrimage to the Holy 
Land;" but having no immediate connexion with 
it, the publishers thought, it proper to defer the pub- 
lication of this work (as mentioned in their advertise- 
ment) until they should know what reception the 
"Pilgrimage" would meet with. A second edition 
being called for and nearly expended, it has induced 
the publication of the " Narrative" in a separate 
volume, which they-hape will be acceptable to the 
public. 



> 



#^ 



c % 



INTRODUCTION. 



BY ALPHONSE DE LAMARTINE. 



We were encamped in the midst of the desert 
which extends from Tiberias to Nazareth, and 
were speaking of the Arab tribes we had met in 
the day, of their manners, and the connexions 
between them and with the great population by 
whom they are surrounded. We endeavoured to 
elucidate the mystery of their origin, their des- 
tiny, and that astonishing endurance of the spirit 
of race r which separates this people from all other 
human families, and keeps them, like the Jews, 
not without the pale of civilization, but within 
a civilization of their own, as unchangeable as 
granite. 

The more I have travelled, the more I am con- 
vinced that races of men form the great secret 
of history and manners. Man is not so capable 
of education as philosophers imagine. The in- 
fluence of governments and laws has less power, 
radically, than is supposed, over the manners and 
instincts of any people, while the primitive con- 
stitution and the blood of the race have always 
their influence, and manifest themselves, thou- 
a2 



sands of years afterwards, in the physical forma- 
tions and moral habits of a particular family or 
tribe. Human nature flows in rivers and screams 
into the vast ocean of hu manity : but its waters min- 
gle but slowly, sometimes never; and it emerges 
again, like the Rhone from the Lake of Geneva, 
with its own taste and colour. Here is indeed an 
abyss of thought and meditation, and at the same 
time a grand secret for legislators. As long as they 
keep the spirit of race in view, they succeed; but 
they fail when they strive against this natural pre- 
disposition: nature is stronger than they are. This 
sentiment is not that of the philosophers of the 
present time, but it is evident to the traveller; 
and there is more philosophy to be found in a 
caravan journey of a hundred leagues, than in ten 
years* reading and meditation. I felt happy in 
thus wandering about among deserts and unknown 
countries, with no route before me but my ca- 
price ; and I told my friends, and M. IVfazolier, 
my interpreter, that if I were alone and without 
family ties, I would lead this manner of life for 
years and years. I would never sleep where I 
had arisen ; I would transport my tent from the 
shores of Egypt to the Persian Gulf, and wish no 
aim for the evening but evening itself. I would 
wander on foot, and dwell with eye and heart on 
these unknown lands, these races of men so dif- 
ferent from my own, and contemplate humanity, 
this most beautiful work of God, under all its 
forms. To effect this, what would be requisite? 
— a few slaves or faithful servants, arms, a little 
gold, two or three tents, and some camels. The 
sky of these countries is almost always warm and 



pure, life easy and economical, and hospitality 
certain and picturesque. I should prefer, a hun- 
dred times, years passed under different skies, 
with hosts and friends ever new, to the barren 
and noisy monotony of the life of our capitals. 
It is undoubtedly more difficult to lead the life of 
a man of the world in Paris or London, than to 
visit the universe as a traveller. The results of 
two such lives are, however, very different. The 
traveller either dies, or he returns with a treasure 
of thoughts and wisdom. The domesticated in- 
habitant of our capitals grows old without know- 
ledge, without experience, and dies as much en- 
trammelled, as much immersed in false notions, as 
when he first begins to exercise his senses. I 
should like, said I to my dragoman, to cross 
those mountains, to descend into the great desert 
of Syria, accost some of the large unknown tribes 
that traverse it, receive their hospitality for 
months, pass on to others, study their resem- 
blances and differences, follow them from the 
gardens of Damascus to the banks of the Eu- 
phrates and the confines of Persia, and raise the 
veil which still hangs over the civilization of the 
desert, — a civilization where our chivalry had its 
birth, and where it must still exist: but time 
presses, and we may see but the borders of that 
ocean whose whole no one has yet crossed. No 
traveller has penetrated amidst those innume- 
rable tribes, whose tents and flocks cover the 
plains of the patriarchs; one only man attempted 
it, but he is no more, and the notes which he had 
collected during ten years' residence amongst the 
people were lost with himself. I desired to in- 



8 

troduce M. de Lascaris to my readers: the fol- 
lowing is a sketch of his character. 

M. de Lascaris was born in Piedmont, of one 
of those Greek families which settled in Italy after 
the conquest of Constantinople: he was a knight 
of Malta when Napoleon conquered the island. 
M. de Lascaris was then a very young man; he 
followed him to Egypt, attached himself to his 
fortunes, and was fascinated by his genius. Highly 
gifted himself, he was one of the first to perceive 
the lofty eminence reserved by Providence for the 
young man who was imbued with all the spirit of 
Plutarch, when the human character seemed worn 
out, shattered, or false. He perceived more : he 
perceived that the great work to be accomplished 
by his hero was not perhaps the restoration of 
power in Europe; an effect which the reaction 
of men's minds rendered necessary, and therefore 
easy; he felt that Asia presented a far wider 
field for the renovating ambition of a hero; that 
that was the scene for conquering, for founding, 
and fo*r renovating on a scale incomparably more 
gigantic; that despotism, brief in Europe, would 
be lasting, eternal, in Asia ; that the great man 
who could there apply the principles of organi- 
zation and unity would effect more than Alex- 
ander, — more than Bonaparte in France, It 
appears that the young warrior of Italy, whose 
imagination was luminous as the East, undefined 
as the desert, wide as the world, held some con- 
fidential conversations with M. de Lascaris on 
this subject; and directed one ray of thought 
towards that horizon which was opening to him 
his destiny. It was but a ray, and I lament it: 



it is evident that Bonaparte was the man for the 
East, not the man for Europe. This will pro- 
voke a smile ; it will appear paradoxical to the 
world. But consult travellers. Bonaparte, who 
is looked upon as the man of the French revolu- 
tion and of liberty, never understood liberty, 
and wrecked the French revolution. History 
will prove it in every page, when written under 
other impulses than those which at present dic- 
tate it. He was the incarnation of reaction 
against the liberty of Europe: glorious and bril- 
liant, it is true; but no more. What proof shall 
I advance? Ask what remains of Bonaparte in 
the world, beyond a page of warfare, and a page 
to record an unskilful restoration. But as for a 
monument, a basis for expectation, a future, a 
something that may live after him besides his 
name — nothing exists but an immense reminis- 
cence. In Asia he would have stirred men by 
millions; and, himself a man of simple ideas, he 
would with two or three facts have built up a 
monument of civilization which would have sur- 
vived him a thousand years. But the mistake 
was made: Napoleon chose Europe; he only 
chose to leave behind him one explorer to ex- 
amine what might be done, and to trace out the 
road to India, if ever fortune should lay it open 
to him. M. de Lascaris was the man; he set 
out with secret instructions from Bonaparte, re- 
ceived the necessary sums for his undertaking, 
and established himself at Aleppo, to complete 
his knowledge of Arabic. Being a man of merit, 
talent, and knowledge, he feigned a sort of en- 
thusiasm to account for his continuance in Syria, 



10 

and his unceasing intercourse with the Arabs of 
the desert who came to Aleppo. At length, 
after some years' preparation, he commenced his 
grand and perilous enterprise ; he passed with 
various risks, and under different disguises, 
through all the tribes of Mesopotamia and of the 
Euphrates ; and returned to Aleppo, rich in the 
knowledge he had acquired, and in the political 
relations he had prepared for Napoleon. But 
whilst accomplishing the mission, fortune over- 
threw his hero ; and he learned his downfall the 
very day on which he was about to bring him 
the fruits of seven years' danger and devotion. 
This unforeseen stroke was fatal to M. de Las- 
caris ; he went into Egypt, and died at Cairo, 
alone, unknown, abandoned, and leaving behind 
him his notes, his only bequest. It is said that 
the English consul obtained these valuable docu- 
ments, which might have become injurious to 
his government, and that they were either de- 
stroyed or sent to London. 

" What a pity," said I to M. Mazolier, "that 
we should have lost the result of so many years' 
labour and patience!" " There is something 
yet remaining," said he; "I was attached at 
Latakia, my country, to a young Arab, who ac- 
companied M. de Lascaris during all his travels. 
After his death, being without resources, and 
deprived even of the arrears of his small salary, 
which M. de Lascaris had promised him, he re- 
turned poor and plundered to his mother. He 
is now living in some small employ with a mer- 
chant of Latakia. I knew him there, and he has 
often spoken to me of a series of notes that he 



11 

wrote at the instigation of his patron in the 
course of their wandering life." "Do you think/' 
said I to M. Mazolier, "the young man would 
consent to sell them?" "I should think so," he 
replied; "and the more so, as he has often ex- 
pressed his desire to present them to the French 
government. But nothing is so easy as to know 
this ; I will write to Fatalla Sayeghir, which is 
the name of the young Arab. Ibrahim Pacha's 
Tartar will deliver him my letter, and we shall 
have an answer on his return to Said." "I 
commission you," said I, "to negotiate the af- 
fair, and to offer him two thousand piastres for 
his manuscript." 

Some months elapsed before the answer of 
Fatalla Sayeghir reached me. Returning to 
Byrauth, I sent my interpreter to negotiate di- 
rectly for the MS. at Latakia. The terms were 
accepted, the sum was paid, and the Arabic MS. 
brought" me by M. Mazolier. In the course of 
the winter, I got them translated with infinite 
difficulty into the Frank language, and thence 
translated them into French myself; the public 
are thus enabled to enjoy the fruits of a ten years' 
journeying, which no other traveller has hitherto 
effected. The extreme difficulty of this triple 
translation must be an excuse for the style of the 
notes. The style indeed is of little importance 
in such works ; facts and manners are every 
thing. I am fully satisfied that the first trans- 
lator has altered nothing ; he has only suppressed 
some tedious details consisting of idle repetitions 
which availed nothing. 



12 

Should this recital possess any interest in a 
scientific, a geographical, or a political point of 
view, I have only one wish to form ; it is that 
the French government, which such a period of 
peril and exile was intended to enlighten and 
serve, should show a tardy gratitude towards the 
unfortunate Fatalla Sayeghir, whose services 
might even still be useful. In this wish I in- 
clude too the young and skilful interpreter, M. 
Mazolier, who has translated these notes from 
the Arabic, and who accompanied me for a year 
in my travels in Syria, Galilee, and Arabia. 
Versed in the knowledge of Arabic, the son of 
an Arab mother, nephew of one of the most pow- 
erful and revered sheiks of Lebanon, having 
already traversed all those countries with me, 
familiar with the manners of the tribes, a man of 
courage, intelligence and honour, heartily de- 
voted to France, this young man might be of the 
utmost service to the government in our relations 
with Syria. French nationality terminates not 
with our frontiers. Our country has sons as at- 
tached upon shores whose name she scarcely 
knows. M. Mazolier is one of those sons. 
France should not forget him. No one could 
serve her better than he, in countries in which 
the effects of our activity of civilization, protec- 
tion, and even of policy, must soon be necessarily 
felt. The following is the narrative of Fatalla 
Sayeghir, literally translated. 



NARRATIVE 



FATALLA SAYEGHIR. 



At eighteen years of age I quitted Aleppo, 
my country, with a stock of merchandise, to es- 
tablish myself in Cyprus. Being tolerably for- 
tunate in the first year of my commercial specu- 
lations, I took a liking to the business, and adopted 
the fatal idea of taking to Trieste a cargo of the 
productions of the island. In a short time my 
goods were embarked ; they consisted of cotton, 
silk, wine, sponge, and colocynth. On the 18th 
March, 1809, my ship, commanded by Captain 
Chefalinatij set sail. I was already calculating 
the profits of my venture, and rejoicing at the 
idea of the gross returns, when, in the midst of 
my delightful illusions, the fatal news arrived of 
the capture of the vessel by an English ship of 
war, which had taken her to Malta. In conse- 
quence of such a loss, I was obliged to strike my 
balance, and retire from trade ; and I quitted 
Cyprus totally ruined, and returned to Aleppo. 
Some days after my arrival I dined at one of my 
friends' with several persons, amongst whom was 
a stranger, very ill- dressed, but to whom much 

B 



14 

consideration was shown. After dinner there 
was music ; and the stranger sitting beside me, 
conversed with much affability: we spoke of 
music, and after a long conversation, I rose to 
ask him his name. I learned that it was M. 
Lascaris de Ventimiglia, and that he was a knight 
of Malta. The following day, I saw him coming 
to my house, holding in his hand a violin. u My 
good young man," said he on entering, " I re- 
marked yesterday how much you like music ; I 
already look upon you as my son, and bring you 
a violin, of which I beg your acceptance." I 
received with much pleasure the instrument, 
which was exactly to my taste, and gave him 
very many thanks. After an animated conver- 
sation of two hours, during which he questioned 
me upon all sorts of subjects, fie retired. The 
next day he returned, and continued in this 
manner his visits for a fortnight ; he then pro- 
posed to me to give him lessons in Arabic for an 
hour every day, for which he offered me a hun- 
dred piastres a month. I gladly accepted this 
advantageous proposal ; and after six months' 
teaching he began to read and speak Arabic 
tolerably well. One day he said to me, "My 
dear son, (he always addressed me thus,) I see 
that you have a great inclination for commerce; 
and as I wish to remain some time with you, I 
should like to employ you in a manner agreeable 
to yourself. Here is money : purchase goods, 
such as are saleable at Horns, at Hama, and the 
neighbourhood. We will trade in the countries 
least frequented by merchants ; you will find we 
shall succeed well." My desire of remaining 



15 

with M. de Lascaris, and the persuasion that 
the undertaking would be successful, determined 
me to acpept the proposal without hesitation ; 
and I began, according to a note which he sent 
me, to make the purchases, which consisted of 
the following articles : red cloth, amber, corals 
in chaplets, cotton handkerchiefs, silk handker- 
chiefs black and red, black shirts, pins, needles, 
box combs and horn, rings, horses' bits, brace- 
lets of glass beads, and other glass ornaments ; 
to these we added chemical products, spices, 
and drugs. M. Lascaris paid for these different 
articles eleven thousand piastres, or two thou- 
sand tallaris. 

The people of Aleppo, who saw me purchas- 
ing the goods, told me that M. Lascaris was be- 
come mad. Indeed his dress and his manners 
made him pass for mad. He wore his beard long 
and ill-combed, a white turban very dirty, a 
shabby robe or gombaz, with a vest beneath, a 
leather belt, and red shoes without stockings. 
When spoken to, he pretended not to under- 
stand what was said. He spent the greater part 
of the day at the coffee-house, and ate at the ba- 
zaar, which was never done by the higher peo* 
pie. This behaviour had an object, as I after- 
wards discovered ; but those who knew it not 
thought his mind was deranged. As to myself, 
I found him full of sense and wisdom ; in short, 
a superior man. One day when all the goods 
were packed, he called me to him, to ask what 
was said of him at Aleppo. " They say," re- 
plied I, " that you are mad." " And what do 
you think yourself?" said he. "I think that 



16 

you are full of sense and knowledge/' u I hope 
in time to prove it so," said he ; " but I must 
have you engage to do all I shall order, without 
reply or asking a reason ; to obey me in every 
thing; in short, I must have a blind obedience; 
you will have no occasion to repent." He then 
told me to fetch him some mercury ; I instantly 
obeyed : he mixed it with grease and two other 
drugs, of which I was ignorant, and assured me, 
that a thread of cotton dipped in this prepara- 
tion and tied round the neck was a security 
against the bite of insects. I thought to myself 
there were not insects enough at Horns, or at 
Hama, to require such a preservative; that 
therefore it was destined for some other country; 
but as he had interdicted every remark, I merely 
asked him on what day we should depart, that I 
might order the moukres (camel drivers.) "I 
allow you," he replied, " thirty days to divert 
yourself; my chest is at your disposal; enjoy 
yourself, spend what you like, spare nothing." 
This is, thought I, for a farewell to the world 
which he wishes me to make : but the strong at- 
tachment I already felt for him stifled this reflec- 
tion ; I thought no longer but of the present, 
and availed myself of the time he allowed to 
enjoy myself. But alas ! the time for pleasure 
soon passes! it soon came to an end. M. Las 
caris pressed me to depart ; I submitted to 
his orders, and profiting by a caravan that set 
out for Hama, Thursday the 18th of February, 
1810, we left Aleppo, and arrived at the village 
of Saarmin, after twelve hours' march. The 
next day we set out for Nuarat el Nahaman, a 



17 

pretty little town, distant six hours. It is cele- 
brated for the salubrity of the air and the good- 
ness of its waters ; it is the native place of the 
celebrated Arabian poet Abu el Hella el Maari, 
who was blind from his birth. He had learned 
to write by a singular method. He remained in 
a vapour bath while they traced on his back the 
form of the Arabic letters with iced water. Many 
are the traits of sagacity related of him ; among 
others the following : — Being at Bagdad with a 
calife, to whom he was continually boasting of 
the air and water of his native place, the calife 
procured some water from the river Nuarat, and 
without any intimation gave it him to drink. 
The poet, immediately recognising it, exclaimed, 
" Here is its limpid water, but where its air so 
pure !" To return to the caravan : it remained 
two days at Nuarat, to be present at a fair that 
was held there on Sundays. We went to walk 
about, and in the multitude I lost sight of M. Las- 
caris, who had disappeared in the midst. After 
looking-for him a long while, I at last discovered 
him in a solitary spot conversing with a ragged 
Bedouin. I asked him with surprise what plea- 
sure he found in the conversation of such a per- 
son, who could neither understand his Arabic, 
nor make him understand his. "The day," 
said he, "when I have first had the honour of 
speaking with a Bedouin, is one of the happiest 
days of my life." "In that case/' I replied, 
"you will often be at the summit of happiness, 
for we shall be continually meeting with this sort 
of people." 

He made me buy some galettes (the bread of 
b 2 



18 

the country) and some cheese, and gave them to 
Hettall, (the name of the Arab,) who thanked 
us and took leave. The 20th February we left 
Nuarat el Nahaman, and, after six hours' march, 
we arrived at Khrau Cheikhria, and the next 
day, after nine hours, at Hama, a considerable 
town, where we were known to nobody, as M. 
Lascaris had brought no letters of recommenda- 
tion. We passed the first night in a coffee- 
house ; and, the next day, hired a room in the 
khan of Asshad Pacha. As I was beginning to 
open the bales, and prepare the goods for sale, 
M. Lascaris said to me with a dissatisfied air, 
" You are only thinking of your miserable com- 
merce ! If you knew how many more useful and 
interesting things there are to be done \ v After 
that I thought no more of selling, and went to 
survey the town. On the fourth day, M. Las- 
caris, walking by himself, proceeded as far as 
the castle, which is falling to ruins. Having 
examined it attentively, he had the imprudence 
to begin taking its dimensions. Four vagabonds, 
who were concealed under a broken arch, threw 
themselves upon him with threats to denounce 
him for wishing to carry off treasures, and intro- 
duce the giaours into the castle. With a little 
money all might have been ended without noise; 
but M. Lascaris defended himself, and with 
difficulty escaped from their hands and came to 
me. He had not finished telling me his adven- 
ture, when we saw two men from the govern- 
ment enter with one of the informers. They 
took the key of our room, and led us away, dri- 
ving us with sticks like felons. Being brought 



19 

into the presence of the mutzelim, Selim Beg, 
known for his cruelty, he thus questioned us : 
" Of what country are you ?" " My companion 
is from Cyprus," I replied, "and myself from 
Aleppo." " What object leads you to this 
country?" "We are come to trade." " You 
lie ; your companion was seen about the castle, 
taking its dimensions and drawing plans ; it is to 
obtain treasure, and deliver the place to the in- 
fidels." Then turning to the guards, " Take 
the two dogs," said he, " to the dungeon." — 
We were not allowed to say another word. Be- 
ing brought to the prison, we were loaded with 
chains from the neck to the feet, and shut up in 
a dark dungeon, which was so small that we could 
hardly turn. After a time we obtained a light, 
and some bread, for a tallari ; but the immense 
quantity of bugs and other insects that infested 
the prison prevented us from closing our eyes. 
We had scarcely courage to think of means to 
get out of the horrible place. At length I recol- 
lected a -Christian writer, named Selim, whom I 
knew by reputation as a useful person. I gained 
over one of our guards, who went for him ; and 
the following day Selim arranged the matter by 
means of a present of sixty tallaris to the mutze- 
lim, and fifty piastres to his people. At this 
price we obtained our liberty. This imprison- 
ment procured for us the acquaintance of Selim, 
and several other persons at Hama, with whom 
we passed three weeks very agreeably. 

The town is charming ; the Orontes crosses it, 
and renders it gay and animated ; its abundant 
waters keep up the verdure of numerous gar- 



20 

dens. The inhabitants are amiable, lively, and 
witty. They admire poetry and cultivate it 
with success. They have been well character- 
ised with the epithet of speaking birds. M. Las- 
caris having asked Selim for a letter of recom- 
mendation to a man of humble condition at Horns, 
who might serve us as guide, he wrote the 
following note : "To our brother Yakoub, health! 
They who will present you this letter are ped- 
lers, and come to you to sell their wares in the 
neighbourhood of Horns ; assist them as far as 
you are able. Your pains will not be lost ; they 
are honest people. Farewell !" 

M. Lascaris, well satisfied with this letter, 
wished to take advantage of a caravan that was 
going to Horns. We departed on the 25th 
March, and arrived after six hours at Rastain, 
which is at present only the ruin of an ancient 
considerable town. It contains nothing remark- 
able. We continued our route, and at the end 
of another six hours we reached Horns. Yakoub, 
to whom we delivered our letter, received us 
admirably, and gave us a supper. His trade 
was making black cloaks, called machlas. After 
supper, some men of his own rank came to pass 
the evening with him, drinking coffee and smok- 
ing. One of them, a locksmith named Naufal, 
appeared very intelligent. He spoke to us of 
the Bedouins, of their manner of living and 
making war ; he told us that he passed six months 
of the year with these tribes to arrange their 
arms, and that he had many friends among them. 
When we were alone, M. Lascaris said to me 
that he had that night seen all his relatives; and 



21 

as I expressed my wonder at learning that there 
were any of the people of Ventimiglia at Horns, 
" My meeting with Naufal," said he, " is more 
valuable to me than that with my whole family." 
It was late when we retired, and the master 
of the house gave a mattress and covering for us 
both. M. Lascaris had never slept with any 
one ; but, out of kindness, he insisted that I 
should share the bed with him : not wishing to 
contradict him, I placed myself beside him ; but 
as soon as the light was out, wrapping myself in 
my machlas, I crept out to the ground, where I 
passed the night. The next morning, on waking, 
we found ourselves lying in the same manner ; 
M. Lascaris having done as I had. He came 
and embraced me, saying, " It is a good sign that 
we had the same idea, my dear son ; for I like 
to call you so, as it pleases you, I hope, as well 
as me." I thanked him for the interest he show- 
ed me, and we went out together to prevail on 
Naufal to accompany us through the town, and 
show us what curiosity it contained, promising to 
pay him for the loss of the day. The population 
of Horns is about eight thousand. The character 
of the people is quite different from that of the 
inhabitants of Hama. The citadel, situated in 
the centre of the town, is falling to ruins ; the 
ramparts still preserved are watered by a branch 
of the Orontes. The air is pure. We bought 
for forty piastres two sheep-skin cloaks like those 
of the Bedouins : these cloaks are water-proof. 
To be the more at liberty, we hired a room at 
the khan, and begged Naufal to stay with us, 
engaging to pay him as much as he would have 



22 

earned in his shop, — about three piastres a day. 
He was of the greatest use. M. Lascaris ques- 
tioned him dexterously? and obtained from him 
all the information he wished : getting him to 
describe the manners, usages, and character of 
the Bedouins, their mode of receiving strangers 
and treating them. We stayed thirty days at 
Horns, to wait the return of the Bedouins,, who 
commonly quit the neighbourhood of that city in 
October, to proceed to the south, according to 
the weather, and the water and pasturage ; pro- 
gressing one day, and halting five or six. Some 
go as far as Bagdad, others to Chatt el Arab, 
where the Tigris and the Euphrates join. In 
February they commence their return to Syria, 
and at the end of April they are found again in 
the deserts of Damascus and Aleppo. Naufal 
gave us all this intelligence, and told us that the 
Bedouins made constant use of cloaks like ours, 
black machlas, and above all of cafies. M. Las- 
caris accordingly made me buy twenty cloaks, 
ten machlas, and fifty cafies, of which I made a 
bale. This purchase amounted to twelve hun- 
dred piastres. Naufal having proposed to us to 
visit the citadel, the recollection of the adven- 
ture at Hama made us at first hesitate ; but, on 
his assurance that nothing disagreeable could 
happen, and that he would be responsible, we 
consented, and went with him to view the ruins 
seated at the top of a small hill in the middle of 
the town. The castle is in better preservation 
than that of Hama. We observed in it a deep 
and concealed grotto, in which was an abundant 
spring ; the water escaped by an opening four 



23 

feet by two, and passed through bars of iron into 
a second opening. It is excellent. An old tra- 
dition was told us, that the passage being once 
stopped up, there came a deputation from Per- 
sia, which, for a considerable sum paid to the 
government, procured it to be re-opened, and 
that for the future the water should not be ob- 
structed. The entrance into the grotto is now 
forbidden, and it is very difficult to get in. 

Returning home, M. Lascaris asked me, if I 
had noted down what we had seen, and what 
had occurred since our departure ; and on my 
answer in the negative, he begged that I would 
do so, making me promise to keep an exact jour- 
nal in Arabic of all that had occurred, that he 
might himself translate it into French. From 
that time I took notes, which he carefully tran- 
scribed every day and returned to me the day 
following. I have now put them together in the 
hope that they may one day prove useful, and 
obtain for me a slight compensation for my fa- 
tigues and sufferings. 

M. Lascaris having determined to go to the 
village of Saddad, I engaged Naufal to accom- 
pany us; and joining some other persons, we 
quitted Horns with all our merchandise. After 
five hours' march, we passed a large brook run- 
ning from north to south towards the castle of 
Hasne. This castle, commanded by an aga, is 
a halting- place to the caravan from Mecca to 
Damascus : the water is excellent for drinking, 
and we filled our skins with it. This was a 
necessary precaution, for we found no more on 
our seven hours' march from thence to Saddad. 



24 

We arrived there at sunset. Naufal took us to 
the sheik, Hassaf Abu Ibrahim, a venerable old 
man, and father of nine children, all married, 
and living under the same roof. He received 
us most kindly, and presented us to all his fami- 
ly, which, to our great astonishment, amounted 
to sixty- four persons. The sheik having asked 
us if we wished to establish ourselves in the vil- 
lage, or travel into other countries, we told him 
we were merchants ; that war between the pow- 
ers having interrupted the communication by 
sea with Cyprus, we had been desirous of settling 
at Aleppo, but finding in that city richer mer- 
chants than ourselves, we had determined to 
carry our goods to less frequented places, hoping 
to make larger gains. Having then told him in 
what our merchandise consisted, u These arti- 
cles/' said he, "are only useful to the Arabs of 
the desert; I am sorry to tell you so, but it will 
be impossible to get to them ; and even if you 
should, you run the risk of losing everything, 
even your lives. The Bedouins are greedy and 
audacious; they will seize your goods, and, if 
you offer the least resistance, will put you to 
death. You are people of honour and delicacy; 
you could never put up with their grossness; it 
is for your sake that I speak thus, being myself 
a Christian. Take my advice: expose your goods 
here, sell all that you can, and then return to 
Aleppo, if you would preserve your property 
and your lives." He had hardly left off speak- 
ing, when the principal people of the village, 
who had assembled to see us, began telling us 
alarming stories. One of them said, that a ped- 



25 

ler coming from Aleppo, and going into the de- 
sert, had been plundered by the Bedouins, and 
had been seen returning quite naked. Another 
had learned that a merchant from Damascus had 
been killed. All agreed as to the impossibility 
of penetrating amongst the hordes of Bedouins, 
and endeavoured by every possible means to de- 
ter us from the dangerous enterprise. 

I saw that M. Lascaris was vexed ; he turned 
to me, and said in Italian, not to be understood 
by the others, "What say you to this account, 
which has much discouraged me?" "I do not 
believe," said I, "all these stories; and even if 
they were true, we ought still to persevere in 
our project. Ever since you announced to me 
your intention to go among the Bedouins, I have 
never hoped to revisit my home. I regarded 
the thirty days you allowed me at Aleppo to en- 
joy myself, as my last farewell of the world; I 
consider our journey as a real campaign; and he 
who goes to war, being well resolved, should 
never think of his return. Let us not lose our 
courage: though Hassaf is a sheik, and has expe- 
rience, and understands the cultivation of land 
and the affairs of his village, he can have no idea 
of the importance of our business: I therefore 
am of opinion that we should speak to him no 
more of our journey into the desert, but place 
our trust in God, the protector of the universe." 
These words produced the effect upon M. Las- 
caris, who embraced me tenderly, and said, 
"My dear son, I put all my hope in God and in 
you; you are a man of resolution, I see; I am 
most satisfied with the strength of your char- 

c 



26 

acter, and I hope to attain my object by the aid 
of your courage and constancy." After this con- 
versation, we went to sleep, equally satisfied 
with one another. 

We passed the next day in walking about the 
village, which contains about two hundred houses 
and five churches. The inhabitants, Syrian 
Christians, fabricate machlas and black abas, 
and pay little attention to agriculture, from want 
of water, which is sensibly felt. There is only 
one little spring in the village, the distribution 
of the water being regulated by an hour-glass. 
It scarcely suflices to water the gardens, which, 
in a climate where it seldom rains, are unpro- 
ductive without watering. Some years there 
does not fall a drop of rain. The produce of 
the soil is hardly enough for six months' con- 
sumption; and, for the remainder of the year, 
the inhabitants are obliged to have recourse to 
Horns. In the middle of the village there arises 
an ancient tower of prodigious height. It dates 
from the foundation of a colony whose history 
the sheik told us. The founders were natives 
of Tripoli in Syria, where their church still 
exists. At the most flourishing period of the 
Eastern empire, the Greeks, full of pride and 
rapacity, tyrannised over the conquered people. 
The governor of Tripoli overwhelmed the in- 
habitants with exactions and cruelty ; these, too 
few to resist, and unable to bear the yoke, con- 
certed together to the number of three hundred 
families ; and having secretly collected together 
all the valuables they could carry away, they de- 
parted without noise in the middle of the night, 



27 

went to Horns, and from thence moved towards 
the desert of Bagdad, where they were over- 
taken by the Greek troops sent in pursuit of 
them by the governor of Tripoli. They made 
an obstinate and sanguinary resistance; but too 
inferior in numbers to conquer, and resolved on 
no account to submit any longer to the tyranny 
of the Greeks, they entered into negotiation, 
and obtained permission to build a village on the 
spot of the battle, agreeing to remain tributary 
to the governor of Tripoli. They established 
themselves at this place, at the entrance of the 
desert, and called their village Saddad (obstacle.) 
This is all that the Syrian chronicle contains 
worthy of remark. 

The inhabitants of Saddad are brave, but 
gentle. We unpacked our goods, and spent some 
days with them, to prove that we were really 
merchants. The women bought much of our 
red cotton cloth, to make chemises. The sale 
did not detain us long, but we were obliged to 
await the arrival of the Bedouins in the envi- 
rons. One day, having been told that there 
was four hours from the village a considerable 
ruin, and very ancient, in which was a natural 
vapour bath, the wonder excited our curiosity; 
and M. Lascaris, desirous of seeing it, begged 
the sheik to give us an escort. After marching 
four hours to the southeast, we arrived in the 
midst of an extensive ruin, in which there re- 
mains only one habitable room. The architec- 
ture is simple; but the stones are of prodigious 
size. On entering the room, we perceived an 
opening two feet square, from which issued a 



28 

thick vapour; we threw into it a handkerchief, 
and in a minute and a half, by the watch, it was 
thrown out and fell at our feet. We repeated 
the experiment with a shirt, which, at the end 
of ten minutes, returned like the handkerchief. 
Our guides assured us that a machlas, which 
weighs ten pounds, would be thrown up in the 
same manner. 

Having undressed, and placed ourselves around 
the opening, we were in a short time covered 
with perspiration, which trickled down our bo- 
dies; but the smell of the vapour was so detest- 
able, that we could not remain a long time ex- 
posed to it. After half an hour we put on our 
clothes, and experienced a most delightful sensa- 
tion. We were told that the vapour was really 
very sanative, and cured numbers of sick. Re- 
turning to the village, we supped with an ex- 
cellent appetite; and never, perhaps, did I 
enjoy a more delicious sleep. 

Having nothing more to see at Saddad, or the 
neighbourhood, we determined to set out for the 
village of Corietain. When we spoke of this to 
Naufal, he advised us to change our names, as 
our own would create suspicion in the Bedouins 
and the Turks. From that time M. Lascaris 
took the name of Sheik Ibrahim el Cabressi (the 
Cyprian,) and gave me that of Abdallah el 
Katib. 

Sheik Hassaf having given us a letter of re- 
commendation to a Syrian curate named Mpussi, 
we took leave of him and our friends at Saddad, 
and set off early. After four hours, we came 
between the two villages of Mahim and Haourin, 



29 

ten minutes apart : each contains about twenty- 
houses, mostly ruined by the Bedouins, who 
come from time to time to plunder them. In 
the midst of these villages is a lofty tower of an- 
cient construction. The inhabitants, all Mus- 
sulmans, speak the language of the Bedouins, 
and dress like them. After having breakfasted 
and filled our water-bottles, we continued our 
journey for six hours, and about nightfall arrived 
at Corietain, at the curate Moussi's, who afforded 
us hospitality. The next day he conducted us 
to the Sheik Selim el Dahasse, a distinguished 
person, who received us very kindly. Having 
learned the motive of our journey, he made the 
same observation as the Sheik of Saddad. We 
answered him, ic that, aware of the difficulties 
of the enterprise, we had given up the idea of 
penetrating into the desert, and should be satis- 
fied with going to Palmyra, to dispose of our 
merchandise." — "That will be still too diffi- 
cult," added he, "for the Bedouins may still 
meet you and pillage you." He then began, in 
his turn, to repeat a thousand alarming things 
about the Bedouins. The curate confirming all 
he said, contributed to damp our spirits ; when 
breakfast was served, which changed the con- 
versation, and gave us time to recover. 

Sheik Selim is one of those who are bound to 
supply the wants of the great caravan to Mecca, 
in conjunction with the Sheik of Palmyra: and 
his office gives him some influence over the 
Arabs: his contingent consists of two hundred 
camels and provisions. On our return home, 
Sheik Ibrahim, addressing me, said* "Well, my 
c2 



30 

son, what do you think of all we have heard from 
Sheik Selim?" — "We must not/ 5 said I, "pay 
too much regard to all that the inhabitants of 
these villages tell us, who are always at war with 
the Bedouins ; there cannot exist much harmony 
between them. Our position is very different; 
we are merchants, — w T e go to sell them our 
goods, and not to make war: by acting honour- 
ably towards them, I do not apprehend the least 
danger." These words reassured Sheik Ibra- 
him. 

Some days after our arrival, in order to sup- 
port our character of merchants, we opened our 
bales in the middle of the village, before the 
doors of the sheik : I sold to the women some 
articles, which were paid for in money. The 
idle people were standing around us to talk; one 
of them, very young, named Hessaisoun el Katib, 
helped me to take the money, and settle the ac- 
counts with the women and children : he showed 
great zeal for my interests. One day, finding 
me alone, he asked me if I was able to keep a 
secret. "Be careful," said he; "it is a great 
secret that you must trust to nobody, not even 
to your companion." Having given him my 
word, he told me that one hour from the village 
was a grotto, in which was a large jar filled with 
sequins; he gave me one, assuring me that he 
could not employ the money, which was not 
current at Palmyra. "But you," continued he, 
" are going from city to city, and can change it 
easily; you have a thousand ways of profiting by 
the treasure that I have not : however, I will 
not give you the whole, but I shall leave the di- 



31 

vision to your generosity: you shall come with 
me to reconnoitre the spot; we can remove the 
gold by degrees and in secret, and you shall give 
me my share in the current coin." Having seen 
and handled the sequin, I believed in the truth 
of the story, and gave him a meeting early the 
following morning outside the village. 

The next morning by daylight I arose, and 
went from the house as if to walk. At some 
paces from the village I found Hessaisoun, who 
was waiting for me: he was armed with a gun, a 
sabre, and pistols ; I had no other arms than a 
long pipe. We proceeded onwards for an hour. 
With what impatience did I look out for the 
grotto ! — at last I perceived it. We soon entered: 
I looked on all sides to discover the jar; and not 
seeing any, I turned towards Hessaisoun — 
" Where is the jar?" said I, — I saw him grow 
pale — "Since we are here," exclaimed he, 
"learn' that thy last hour is come. Thou shouldst 
have been dead already, were I not afraid of 
soiling thy clothes with blood. Before I kill 
thee, I will despoil thee; so give me thy bag of 
money: I know thou hast it about thee: it must 
contain more than twelve hundred piastres, 
which I counted myself, the price of the goods 
sold. Thou shalt see no more the light of 
day." 

"Give me my life," said I, in a supplicating 
tone, "and I will give thee a much larger sum 
than that in the sack, and will tell no one of what 
has passed — I swear to thee." — " That cannot 
be," said he; " this grotto shall be thy grave. I 



32 



cannot give thee thy life without exposing my 



own." 



I swore to him a thousand times that I would 
be silent : I offered to give him a bill for what- 
ever sum he should ^x ; — nothing could move 
him from his fearful project. At length, tired 
by my resistance, he placed his arms against the 
wall and darted upon me like an enraged lion, 
to undress me before killing me. I entreated 
him again — "What harm have I done you?" 
said I, — "what enmity is there between us? 
You do not know, then, that the day of judg- 
ment is at hand — that God will demand the blood 
of the innocent?"— But his hardened heart lis- 
tened to nothing. I thought of my brother, my 
parents, my friends ; all that was dear to me 
came to my mind; — desperate, I no longer 
prayed for protection but from my Creator. " O 
God! protector of the innocent! help me! give 
me strength to resist!" My assassin, impatient, 
snatched my clothes : although he was much 
bigger than I, God gave me strength to struggle 
with him for more than half an hour : the blood 
flowed abundantly from my face — my clothes 
were torn to rags. The villain, seeing me in 
this state, endeavoured to strangle me, and raised 
his arm to grasp my neck. I took advantage of 
the liberty this movement allowed me, to give 
him with both fists a violent blow in the sto- 
mach: I knocked him backwards, and seizing 
his arms, I darted out of the grotto, running 
with all my might. I could scarcely believe 
the happiness of being saved. Some moments 



33 

afterwards I heard a running after me : it was 
the assassin. He called to me, begging me to 
wait in the most conciliating tone. Having all 
his arms, I no longer feared to stop, and turning 
towards him, "Wretch," said I, " what is it you 
ask? — you would have assassinated me in secret; 
but it is you who will be strangled in public." 
He answered me by affirming with an oath, that 
it had all been a jest on his part ; that he had 
wanted to try my courage, and see how I would 
defend myself. "But I see," added he, "that 
you are but a child, since you take it so." — I 
answered, raising the gun, that if he came a step 
nearer I would shoot him. Seeing that I was 
determined to do it, he fled across the desert, 
and I returned to the village. 

In the meantime, Sheik Ibrahim, the curate, 
and Naufal, not finding me return, began to be 
alarmed. Sheik Ibrahim above all, knowing that 
I never went to a distance without acquainting 
him, after two hours' delay went to the sheik, 
who, participating in his anxiety, sent out all 
the village in search of me. At last Naufal, 
perceiving me, cried out: "There he is!" Selim 
thought he was mistaken. I drew nearer : they 
could with difficulty recognise me. M. Lascaris 
embraced me and wept: I was unable to speak. 
They took me to the curate's, bathed my wounds 
and put me to bed. At length I found strength 
to relate my adventure. Selim sent horsemen 
in pursuit of the assassin, giving to the negro the 
rope that was to strangle him ; but they returned 
without being able to overtake him, and we soon 
learned that he had entered the service of the 



34 

Pacha of Damascus. He never returned to 
Corietain. 

At the end of a few days my wounds began to 
heal, and I soon recovered my strength. Sheik 
Selim, who had conceived a great friendship 
for me, brought me a telescope that was out of 
order, telling me I should be a clever fellow if I 
could mend it. As there was only a glass to re- 
place, I restored it and brought it to him. He 
was so pleased with my skill, that he gave me 
the surname of "the industrious." 

In a short time we learnt that the Bedouins 
were approaching Palmyra : some were seen 
even in the environs of Corietain. Presently 
there came one, named Selame el Hassan. We 
were at Selim's when he entered: coffee was 
brought, and while we were taking it, many of 
the inhabitants came to the sheik, and said : 
u Eight years ago, at such a place, Hassan killed 
our relative ; and we are come to demand jus- 
tice." Hassan denied the fact, and asked if 
they had witnesses. " No," they replied ; 
" but you were seen passing alone on the road, 
and a little after we found our relative lying 
dead. We know that there existed a cause of 
hatred between you : it is therefore clear that 
you are his assassin." Hassan still denied the 
charge : and the sheik, who from fear was obliged 
to exercise caution with the Bedouins, and be- 
sides had no positive proof in the case, took a 
piece of wood and said, " By Him who created 
this stem, swear that you have not killed their 
relation." Hassan took the wood, looked at it 
some minutes, and bent down his head ; then 



35 

raising it towards his accusers, "I will not have," 
said he, " two crimes on my heart, — the one of 
being the murderer of this man, the other of 
swearing falsely before God. It is I who have 
killed your kinsman : what do you demand for 
the price of his blood?"* The sheik, from po- 
licy, would not act according to the full rigour 
of the law ; and the persons present being inte- 
rested in the negotiation, it was decided that 
Hassan should pay three hundred piastres to the 
relations of the dead. When it came to the 
payment of the money, he said he had it not 
about him, but that he would bring it in a few 
days 5 and as some difficulty was made of letting 
him go without security, " I have no pledge," 
said he, " to give; but He will answer for me 
whose name I would not profane by a false oath." 
He departed ; and four days afterwards returned 
with fifteen sheep, each worth above twenty 
piastres. — This trait of good faith and generosity 
at once charmed and surprised us. We wished 
to make acquaintance with Hassan : Sheik Ibra- 
him invited him, gave him a few presents, and 
we became intimate friends. He told us that he 
belonged to the tribe El-Ammour, whose chief 
was Sultan el Brrak. This tribe, composed of 
five hundred tents, is considered as constituting 
part of the country, because it never quits the 
banks of the Euphrates when the great tribes 
retire. They sell sheep, camels, and butter, at 
Damascus, Horns, Hama, &c. The inhabitants 



* According- to Arab law, murder is compensated by money ; 
and the sum is fixed according to circumstances. 



36 

of these different cities have often a concern in 
their flocks. 

We one day said to Hassan that we were de- 
sirous of going to Palmyra to sell our remaining 
merchandise) but that we had been alarmed by 
the dangers of the road. Having offered to con- 
duct us, he made a note before the sheik, by 
which he made himself responsible for all the 
disasters that might happen. Being satisfied 
that Hassan was a man of honour, we accepted 
his proposal. 

Spring was come, and the desert, lately so 
arid, was all at once covered with a carpeting of 
verdure and flowers. This enchanting spectacle 
induced us to hasten our departure. The night 
before, we deposited at the curate Moussi's a 
part of our goods, in order not to awaken either 
curiosity or cupidity. Naufcil wished to return 
to Horns, and M. Lascaris dismissed him with a 
liberal recompense ; and the next day, having 
hired some moukres, with their camels, we took 
leave of the people of Corietain, and having pro- 
vided water and provisions for two days, we de- 
parted betimes, carrying a letter of recommen- 
dation from Sheik Selim to the Sheik of Palmyra, 
whose name was Ragial el Orouk. 

After a ten hours' march, always towards the 
east, we stopped at a square tower, extremely 
lofty and of massive construction, called Casser 
el Ourdaan, on the territory El Dawh. This 
tower, built in the time of the Greek empire, 
served for an advanced post against the Persians, 
who came to carry off the inhabitants of the 
country. This bulwark of the desert has pre- 



37 

served its name till these times. After having 
admired its architecture, which belongs to a 
good period, we returned to pass the night at 
our little khan, where we suffered much from 
the cold. In the morning, as we were preparing 
to depart, M. Lascaris, not yet accustomed to 
the movements of camels, mounted his without 
care ; which rising suddenly, threw him down. 
We ran to him : his leg appeared to be dislo- 
cated ; but, as he would not be detained, after 
having done what we could, we replaced him on 
his seat, and continued our route. We proceed- 
ed for two hours, when we observed at a distance 
a cloud of dust approaching us, and soon were 
able to distinguish six armed horsemen. Hardly 
had Hassan perceived them, when he threw off 
his cloak, took his lance and ran to meet them, 
crying out to us not to go forward. Having 
come up to them, he told them that we were mer- 
chants going to Palmyra, and that he had engaged 
before Sheik Selim and all his village to con- 
duct us thither in safety. But these Bedouins, 
of the tribe El Hassnnee, without listening to 
him, came up to us : Hassan threw himself for- 
ward to stop the road ; they attempted to drive 
him back, and a battle began. Our defender 
was known for his valour, but his opponents were 
equally brave. He sustained the attack for half 
an hour, and at length, wounded by a lance which 
pierced his thigh, he retired towards us, and 
soon fell from his horse. The Bedouins were 
beginning to plunder us, when Hassan, extended 
on the ground, the blood flowing from his wound, 
apostrophised them in these terms : — 

D 



38 

" What are you about, my friends ? — will you 
tftsn violate the laws of Arabs, the usages of the 
Bedouins? They whom you are plundering are 
my brethren — they have my word ; I am re- 
sponsible for all that may befall them, and you 
are robbing them ! — is this according to honour?" 

" Why," said they, " did you undertake to 
convey Christians to Palmyra? Know you not 
that Mehanna el Fadel (the sheik of their tribe) 
is chief of the country ? Why did you not ask 
his permission ?" 

" I know," replied Hassan ; " but these mer- 
chants were in haste ; Mehanna is far from this. 
I have pledged my word — they believed me ; 
they know our laws and our usages, which never 
ohange. Is it worthy of you to violate them, 
by despoiling these strangers, and leaving me 
wounded in this manner?" 

At these words the Bedouins, ceasing their 
violence, answered, " All that you say is true 
and just; and as it is so, we will take from thy 
proteges only what they choose to give us." 

We made all haste to offer them two machlas, 
a cloak, and a hundred piastres. They were 
satisfied, and left us to pursue our route. Has- 
san suffered a great deal from his wound ; and 
as he could not remount his horse, I gave him 
my camel, and took his mare. We proceeded 
for four hours ; but the sun being set, we were 
obliged to halt at a place called Waddi el Nahr 
(Valley of the River. ) However, there was not 
a drop of water in it, and our skins were empty: 
the attack in the morning had detained us three 



39 

hours, and it was impossible to go further that 
night. 

Notwithstanding all we had to suffer, we were 
still very happy at having escaped the Bedouins, 
and preserved our clothes, which secured us a 
little from the cold wind, that affected us sen- 
sibly. In short, between pleasure and pain, we 
watched with impatience for the dawn of day. 
Sheik Ibrahim suffered from his foot, and Has- 
san from his wound. In the morning, having 
disposed of our sick in the best manner we could, 
we again set forward, and still towards the east. 
At an hour and a quarter from Palmyra we found 
a subterraneous stream, the spring of which is 
entirely unknown, as well as the place where 
it is lost. The water is seen to flow through 
openings of about five feet, forming a sort of ba- 
sins. It is unnecessary to say with what delight 
we quenched our thirst: — the water appeared 
excellent. 

At the entrance of a pass formed by the junc- 
tion of two mountains, we at length perceived 
the celebrated Palmyra. This defile forms for 
a quarter of an hour an avenue to the city ; 
along the mountain on the south side extends for 
almost three hours a very ancient rampart. 
Facing you to the left is an old castle, built by 
the Turks after the invention of gunpowder. It 
is called Co Lat Ebn Maaen. — This Ebn Maaen, 
a governor of Damascus in the time of the Kha- 
lifs, had built the castle to prevent the Persians 
from penetrating into Syria. — We next arrived 
at a vast space, called Waddi el Cabour (Valley 
of the Tombs.) The sepulchres that cover it 



40 

appear at a distance like towers. On coming 
near, we saw that niches had been cut in them 
to enclose the dead. Every niche is shut up by 
a stone, on which is carved a portrait of its oc- 
cupant. The towers have three or four stories, 
communicating by means of a staircase, com- 
monly in good preservation. From thence we 
came into a vast enclosure inhabited by the 
Arabs, who call it the Castle. It contains, in 
fact, the ruins of the Temple of the Sun. Two 
hundred families reside in these ruins. We im- 
mediately presented ourselves to Sheik Ragial el 
Orouk, a venerable old man, who received us 
well, and made us sup and sleep with him. This 
sheik, like the sheik of Corietain, furnishes two 
hundred camels to the great caravan of Mecca. 

The following day, having hired a house, we 
unpacked our goods. I attended to the foot of 
Sheik Ibrahim, which was in reality dislocated. 
He had long to suffer the pain. Hassan found 
friends at Palmyra who took care of him ; and 
being soon recovered, he came to take leave of 
us, and went away delighted with the manner in 
which we recompensed him. 

Being obliged to keep at home for several 
days on account of Sheik Ibrahim's foot, we set 
about selling some articles, to confirm our mer- 
cantile character. But as soon as M. Lascaris 
was in a fit state to walk, we went to visit the 
temple in all its minutiae. Other travellers have 
described the ruins : therefore we will only speak 
of what may have escaped their observation re- 
lating to the country. 

We one day saw many people engaged in sur- 



41 

rounding with wood a beautiful granite column. 
We were told it was to burn it, or rather to 
cause it to fall, in order to obtain the lead which 
was in the joinings. Sheik Ibrahim, full of in- 
dignation, addressing me, exclaimed, "What 
would the founders of Palmyra say if they beheld 
these barbarians thus destroying their work? 
Since chance has brought me hither, I will op- 
pose this act of Vandalism." And having learn- 
ed what might be the worth of the lead, he gave 
the fifty piastres they asked, and the column be- 
came our property. It was of the most beautiful 
red granite, spotted with blue and black, sixty- 
two feet in length, and ten in circumference. 
The Palmyrians, perceiving our taste for monu- 
ments, pointed out to us a curious spot, an hour 
and a half distant, in which the columns were 
formerly cut, and where there are still some 
beautiful fragments. For ten piastres three 
Arabs agreed to take us there. The road is 
strewed with very beautiful ruins, described, I 
presume, by other travellers. We observed a 
grotto, in which was a beautiful white marble 
column cut and chiselled, and another only half 
finished. One might say that Time, the de- 
stroyer of so much magnificence, was wanting to 
place up the first, and to finish the second. 

After having been into several grottoes, and 
visited the neighbourhood, we came back by 
another road. Our guides pointed out a beau- 
tiful spring, covered with blocks of stone. It is 
called Ain Ournus. The name struck Sheik 
Ibrahim. At last, calling me, he said : "1 have 
discovered what this name Ournus means. Aure- 
d2 



42 

lianus, the Roman emperor, came to besiege 
Palmyra and take possession of its riches. It is 
he probably who dug this well for the wants of 
his army during the siege, and the spring may 
have taken his name, changed by the lapse of 
time into Ournus." According to my feeble 
knowledge of history, Sheik Ibrahim's conjec- 
ture is not without foundation. 

The inhabitants of Palmyra are but little oc- 
cupied about agriculture. Their chief employ- 
ment is the working of a salt-mine, the produce 
of which they send to Damascus and Horns. 
They also make a great deal of Soda. The 
plant that furnishes it is very abundant : it is 
burnt, and the ashes are also sent to those towns 
to make soap. They are even sent sometimes as 
far as Tripoli in Syria, where there are many 
soap manufactories, and which supply the Archi- 
pelago. 

We were one day informed of a very curious 
grotto ; but the entrance to it, being dark and 
narrow, was hardly practicable. It was three 
hours from Palmyra. We felt a wish to see it ; 
but my adventure with Hessaisoun was too re- 
cent to commit ourselves without a strong escort: 
therefore we begged Sheik Ragial to furnish us 
with trusty people. Astonished at our project, 
" You are very curious/' said he : " what does 
the grotto signify to you ? Instead of attending 
to your business, you pass your time in this 
trifling. Never did I see such merchants as 
you." — " Man always profits," said I, " by 
seeing all the beauties that nature has created." 
The sheik having given us six men well armed. 



43 

I provided myself with a ball of thread, a large 
nail, and torches, and we set out very early in 
the morning. After two hours' march we reached 
the foot of a mountain. A great hole that they 
showed us formed the entrance of the grotto. I 
stuck my nail into a place out of sight, and hold- 
ing the ball in my hand, followed Sheik Ibrahim 
and the guides who carried the torches. We went 
on, sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left, 
then up and then down ; in short, the grotto is 
large enough to accommodate an entire army. 
We found a good deal of alum. The vault and 
the sides of the rock were covered with sulphur, 
and the bottom with nitre. We remarked a spe- 
cies of red earth, very fine, of an acid taste. 
Sheik Ibrahim put a handful into his handker- 
chief. The grotto is full of cavities cut out with 
a chisel, whence metals were anciently taken. 
Our guides told us of many persons who had lost 
themselves in it and perished. A man had re- 
mained .there two days in vain looking for the 
outlet, when he saw a wolf: he threw stones at 
him ; and having put him to flight, followed 
him, and so found the opening. My length of 
cord being exhausted, we would not go further, 
but retraced our steps. The charm of curiosity 
had, without doubt, smoothed the way, for we 
had infinite difficulty in gaining the outlet. 

As soon as we were out, we hastened our 
breakfast, and took the road to Palmyra. The 
sheik, who was expecting us, asked us what we 
had gained by the journey. " We have learn- 
ed/' said I, " that the ancients were more skil- 
ful than we ; for it may be seen by their works 



44 

that they could go in and out with ease, whilst 
we had great difficulty in extricating ourselves." 

He set up a laugh, and we quitted him to go 
and rest ourselves. At night Sheik Ibrahim 
found the handkerchief, in which he had put the 
red earth, all in holes and rotten. The earth 
had fallen into his pocket. He put it into a 
bottle,* and told me that probably the ancients 
had obtained gold from this grotto. Chemical 
experience proves that where there is sulphur 
there is often gold ; and besides, the great works 
we had remarked could not have been made 
merely to extract sulphur and alum, but evi- 
dently something more precious. If the Arabs 
had suspected that we were going to search for 
gold, our lives would not have been safe. 

From day to day we heard of the approach of 
the Bedouins, and Sheik Ibrahim was as rejoiced 
as if he was about to see his countrymen. He 
was enchanted when I announced to him the 
arrival of the great Bedouin prince, Mehanna el 
Fadel. He wished immediately to go to meet 
him: but I represented to him, that it would be 
more prudent to wait a favourable opportunity 
of seeing some one of the emir's (prince's) family. 
I knew that, ordinarily, Mehanna sent a messen- 
ger to the Sheik of Palmyra to announce to him 
his approach. In fact, I witnessed the arrival 
one day of eleven Bedouin horsemen, and learned 
that the Emir Nasser was amongst them, the el- 
dest son of Mehanna. I ran to carry the intelli- 
gence to Sheik Ibrahim, who seemed at the 

* This bottle was taken with all the rest into Egypt. 



45 

height of joy. Immediately we went to Sheik 
Ragial, to present us to the Emir Nasser, who 
gave us a kind reception. "These strangers/' 
said Ragial to him, "are honest merchants, who 
have goods to sell useful to the Bedouins; but 
they have so frightened them, that they dare not 
venture into the desert unless you will grant 
them your protection.' 7 

The emir, turning towards us, said : — " Hope 
for all sorts of prosperity: you shall be welcome ; 
and I promise you that nothing shall befall you 
but the rain which descends from heaven." We 
offered him many thanks, saying, "Since we 
have had the advantage of making your acquaint- 
ance, and you will be our protector, you will do 
us the honour of eating with us?" 

The Arabs in general, and above all the Be- 
douins, regard it as an inviolable pledge of fidel- 
ity to have eaten with any one — even to have 
broken bread with him. We therefore invited 
him, with all his suite, as well as the sheik. 
We killed a sheep, and the dinner, dressed in 
the manner of the Bedouins, appeared to them 
excellent. At dessert we offered them figs, 
raisins, almonds, and nuts, which was a great 
treat to them. After coffee, when we began to 
speak of different things, we related to Nasser 
our adventure with the six horsemen of his tribe. 
He wished to punish them and restore our mo- 
ney. We earnestly conjured him not to do so, 
assuring him we attached no value to what we 
had given. We would have departed with him 
the next day, but he induced us to await the ar- 
rival of his father, who was at eight days' dis- 



46 

tance. He promised to send us an escort, and 
camels to carry our merchandise. For a greater 
security, we begged him to write by his father, 
which he engaged to do. 

The second day after, there arrived at Pal- 
myra a Bedouin of the tribe El Hassnnee, named 
Bani ; and some hours after, seven others of the 
tribe El Daffir, with which that of Hassnnee is 
at war. These having learned that there was 
one of their enemies in the city, resolved to wait 
for him out of the town to kill him. Bani having 
been told this, came to us, tied his mare to our 
door, and begged us to lend him a felt. We had 
several which wrapped our merchandise ; I 
brought him one. He put it to soak in water 
for half an hour, and then placed it, wet as it 
was, on his mare's back, underneath the saddle. 
Two hours afterwards she had a strong diar- 
rhoea, which lasted all the evening, and the next 
day seemed to have nothing in her body. Bani 
then took off the felt, which he returned, well 
girthed his seat, and departed. 

About four hours after noon we saw the Be- 
douins of the tribe El Daffir return without 
booty. Some one having asked them what they 
had done with the mare of Bani, "This," said 
they, "is what has happened to us. Not wishing 
to commit an insult towards Ragial, a tributary 
of Mehanna, we abstained from attacking our 
enemy in the city. We might have waited for 
him in a narrow pass ; but we were seven to one : 
we therefore resolved to wait for him in the 
open plain. Having perceived him, we ran upon 
him ; but as soon as he was in the midst of us, he 



47 

uttered a loud cry, saying to his horse, ' Jah 
Hamra! — It is now thy turn/ — and he flew off 
like lightning. We followed him to his tribe 
without being able to catch him, astonished at 
the swiftness of his mare, which seemed like a 
bird cleaving the air with its wings. " I then 
told them the history of the felt, which caused 
them much wonder, having, said they, no idea 
of such sorcery. 

Eight days after, three men came to us from 
Mehanna el Fadel : they came to us with the 
camels, and put into our hands a letter from 
himself; these are the contents: — 

"Mehanna el Fadel, the son of Melkhgem, to 
Sheik Ibrahim and Abdalla el Katib, greeting. 
May the mercy of God be upon you! On the 
arrival of our son Nasser, we were informed of 
the desire you have to visit us. Be welcome! 
you will shed blessing upon us. Fear nothing; 
you have the protection of God, and the word 
of Mehanna; nothing shall touch you but the 
rain of heaven! Signed, Mehanna el Ffa- 
del." 

A seal was appended by the side of the signa- 
ture. The letter gave great pleasure to Sheik 
Ibrahim : our preparations were soon made, and 
early the next morning we were out of Palmyra. 
Being arrived at a village watered by an abun- 
dant spring, we filled our skins for the rest of 
the route. This village, called Arak, is four 
hours from Palmyra. We met a great number 
of Bedouins, who, after having questioned our 
conductors, continued their road. After a march 
of ten hours, the plain appeared covered with 



48 

fifteen hundred tents: it was the tribe of Me- 
hanna. We entered into the tent of the emir, 
who ordered us coffee at three different inter- 
vals ; which, amongst the Bedouins, is the great- 
est proof of consideration. After the third cup, 
supper was served, which we were obliged to 
eat a la Turque : it was the first time this had 
occurred, so that we burnt our fingers. Me- 
hanna perceived it. 

" You are not accustomed," said he, " to eat 
as we do." — "It is true," replied Sheik Ibra- 
him; "but why do you not make use of spoons? 
it is always possible to procure them, if only of 
wood." — "We are Bedouins," replied the emir, 
"and we keep to the customs of our ancestors, 
which, besides, we consider well founded. The 
hand and the mouth are the parts of the body 
that God has given us to aid each other. Why 
then make use of a strange thing, whether of 
wood or of metal, to reach the mouth, when the 
hand is naturally made for that purpose?" We 
were obliged to approve these reasons, and I re- 
marked to Sheik Ibrahim that Mehanna was the 
first Bedouin philosopher that we had encoun- 
tered. 

The next day the emir had a camel killed to 
regale us, and I learned that that was a high 
mark of consideration, the Bedouins measuring 
the importance of the stranger by the animal 
they kill to welcome him. They begin with a 
lamb, and finish with a camel. This was the 
first time we had eaten the flesh of this animal, 
and we thought it rather insipid. 

The Emir Mehanna was a man of eighty years 



49 

of age, little, thin, deaf, and very ill-clothed. 
His great influence among the Bedouins arises 
from his noble and generous heart, and from 
being the chief of a very ancient and numerous 
family. He is entrusted by the Pacha of Da- 
mascus with the escort of the grand caravan to 
Mecca, for twenty-five purses (twelve thousand 
five hundred piastres,) which are paid him be- 
fore their departure from Damascus. He has 
three sons, Nasser, Faress, and Hamed, all mar- 
ried, and inhabiting the same tent as their father. 
This tent is seventy-two feet long, and as many 
wide ; it is of black horsehair, and divided into 
three partitions. In the further one is kept the 
provisions, and there the cookery is performed; 
the slaves, too, sleep there. The middle is kept 
for the women, and all the family retire to it at 
night. The fore part is occupied by the men : 
in this strangers are received: this part is called 
Rabha. 

After three days devoted to enjoying their 
hospitality, we opened our bales, and sold many 
articles, upon most of which we lost more or less. 
I did not understand this mode of dealing, and 
said so to Sheik Ibrahim. "Have you then for- 
got our conditions?" said he. I excused myself, 
and continued to sell according to his pleasure. 

One day we saw arrive fifty well -mounted 
horsemen, who, having stopped before the tents, 
dismounted and sat on the ground. The Emir 
Nasser, charged with all the affairs since his 
father had become deaf, went to join them, ac- 
companied by his cousin Sheik Zamel, and held 
a conference with them for two hours, after 

E 



50 

which the men remounted their horses and de- 
parted. Sheik Ibrahim, anxious about this mys- 
terious interview, knew not how to ascertain the 
motive of it. Having already been often with 
the women, I took a coral necklace, and went to 
Naura, the wife of Nasser, to present it to her. 
She accepted it, made me sit near her, and 
offered me in her turn dates and coffee. After 
these reciprocal acts of politeness, I came to the 
object of my visit, and said, "Excuse my impor- 
tunity, I entreat you, but strangers are curious 
and timid; the little merchandise we have here is 
the remnant of a considerable fortune, which mis- 
fortunes have deprived us of. The Emir Nasser 
was just now holding conference with strangers — 
that excites our apprehension; we would know 
the subject." — "I will satisfy your curiosity," 
said Naura; "but on condition that you will 
keep my secret, and appear to know nothing. 
Know that my husband has many enemies among 
the Bedouins, who hate him for humbling the 
national pride by exalting the power of the 
Turks. The alliance of Nasser with the Os- 
manlis greatly displeases the Bedouins, who hate 
them. It is even contrary to the advice of his 
father, and the heads of the tribe, who murmur 
against him. The object of this meeting was to 
concert a plan of attack. To-morrow they will 
assail the tribe El Daflir, to take their flocks, 
and do them all the mischief possible: the God 
of battle will give the victory to whom he pleases: 
but as to you, you have nothing to fear." Hav- 
ing thanked Naura, I withdrew well satisfied 
with having gained her confidence. 



51 

Sheik Ibrahim, informed by me of all the 
wife of Nasser had told me, said that it caused 
him the greatest vexation. is I was endeavour- 
ing," added he, "to attach myself to a tribe 
hostile to the Osmanlis, and here I am with a 
chief allied to them." I did not dare ask the 
meaning of these words, but they served to set 
me thinking. 

About sunset three hundred horsemen assem- 
bled beyond the encampment, and marched early 
in the morning, having at their head Nasser, 
Hamed, and Zamel. Three days afterwards a 
messenger came to announce their return. A 
great number of men and women went out to 
meet them ; and when they had reached them, 
they sent up on both sides loud shouts of joy, 
and in this manner made their triumphal entry 
into the camp, preceded by a hundred and eighty 
camels, taken from the enemy. As soon as they 
had alighted, we begged them to recount their 
exploit. 

"The day after our departure," said Nasser, 
"having arrived about noon at the place where 
the shepherds feed the flocks of Daffir, we fell 
upon them, and carried off a hundred and eighty 
camels : however, the shepherds having fled, 
gave the alarm to their tribe. I then detached 
a part of my troops to conduct our booty to the 
camp by another road. Aruad-Ebn-Motlac, the 
chief of the tribe El Daffir, coming to attack us 
with three hundred horsemen, the battle lasted 
two hours, and night alone separated us. Every 
one then returned to his tribe, the enemy having 



52 

lost one of his men, and we having two men 
wounded." 

The tribe of Nasser feigned a participation in 
his triumph, whereas in reality they were very 
dissatisfied with an unjust war against their natu- 
ral friends, to please the Osmanlis. Nasser, 
having visited all the chiefs, to recount his suc- 
cess, came to Sheik Ibrahim and addressed him 
in Turkish ; Sheik Ibrahim having observed to 
him that he spoke only Greek, his native tongue, 
and a little Arabic, Nasser began to extol the 
language and customs of the Turks, saying it 
was not possible to be truly great, powerful, and 
respected, without being on a good footing with 
them. "As for me," added he, "I am more 
Osmanli than Bedouin." " Trust not the pro- 
mises of the Turks," replied Sheik Ibrahim, 
" any more than their greatness and magnifi- 
cence : they favour you that they may gain you 
over, and injure you with your countrymen, in 
order to employ you to fight against the other 
tribes. The interest of the Turkish government 
is to destroy the Bedouins : not strong enough 
to effect this themselves, they wish to arm you 
against each other. Take care that you have 
not some day cause to repent. I give you this 
advice as a friend who takes a lively interest in 
you, and because I have eaten your bread and 
partaken of your hospitality." 

Some time after, Nasser received from Soli- 
man, the pacha of Acre and Damascus, a mes- 
sage, engaging him to come and receive the 
investiture of the general command of all the 
desert, with the title of Prince of the Bedouins. 



53 

This message overwhelmed him with joy, and he 
departed for Damascus with ten horsemen. 

Mehanna having ordered the departure of the 
tribe, the next morning by sunrise not a single 
tent was to be seen standing ; all was folded up 
and loaded, and the departure began in the 
greatest order. Twenty chosen horsemen formed 
the advanced guard, and served as scouts. Then 
came the camels with their loads, and the flocks; 
then the armed men, mounted on horses or cam- 
els ; after these the women ; those of the chiefs 
carried in howdahs, (a sort of palankin,) placed 
on the backs of the largest camels. These how- 
dahs are very rich, carefully lined, covered 
with scarlet cloth, and ornamented with differ- 
ent coloured fringe. They hold commodiously 
two women, or a woman and several children. 
The women and children of inferior rank follow 
directly after, seated on rolls of tent-cloth, ranged 
like seats, and placed on camels. The loaded 
camels, carrying the baggage and provision, are 
behind. The line was closed by the Emir Me- 
hanna, mounted on a dromedary by reason of his 
great age, and surrounded by his slaves, the rest 
of the warriors, and the servants, who were on foot. 
It was truly wonderful to witness the order and 
celerity with which the departure of eight or nine 
thousand persons was effected. Sheik Ibrahim 
and I were on horseback, sometimes ahead, some- 
times in the centre, or by the side of Mehanna. 
We proceeded ten hours successively : all at 
once, three hours after noon, the order of march 
was interrupted ; the Bedouins dispersed them- 
selves in the midst of a fine plain, sprang to the 
e2 



54 

ground, fixed their lances, and fastened their 
horses to them. The women ran on all sides, 
and pitched their tents near their husbands' 
horses. Thus, as if by enchantment, we found 
ourselves in a kind of city, as large as Ha ma. It 
is the duty of the women alone to pitch and to 
strike the tents, and they acquit themselves with 
surprising address and rapidity. All the labours 
of the encampment generally fall to the lot of 
the women. The men take charge of the flocks, 
kill and skin the beasts. The costume of the 
women is very simple ; they wear a large blue 
chemise, a black machlas, and a sort of black silk 
scarf, which, after covering the head, passes 
twice round the neck, and falls over the back. 
They have no covering for the legs ; except the 
wives of the sheiks, who wear yellow boots. 
Their great ambition and luxury is to have a 
great many bracelets ; they have them of glass, of 
coral, coin, and amber. 

The plain on which we rested was called El 
Makram. It is not far from Hama. The place 
is rather agreeable, and its rich pasturage ren- 
ders it suitable to the Bedouins. 

The fourth day we had an alarm : four hours 
after noon the shepherds came running in haste, 
crying "To arms! the enemy are seizing our 
flocks." It was the tribe of Dafnr, who, watch- 
ing the opportunity to revenge themselves on 
Nasser, had sent a thousand horse to carry off 
the flocks at nightfall, to allow no time for a pur- 
suit. Our men, expecting an attack, were pre- 
pared ; but it was necessary to find out on which 
side the enemy were. Night coming on, four 



55 

men dismounted from their horses, took opposite 
directions, and crouching down, their ears close 
to the ground, heard at a great distance the 
steps of the plunderers. Night passed without 
being able to reach them ; but in the morning 
the troop of Hassne (that of Mehanna) having 
joined them, they gave battle. After four hours' 
fighting, half the flocks were recaptured : but 
five hundred camels remained in the hands of 
the tribe El Dafiir. We had ten men killed and 
several wounded. At the return, the affliction 
was general ; the Bedouins murmured, attribu- 
ting all that had happened to the caprice and 
vanity of Nasser. 

Mehanna sent off a courier to his son, who im- 
mediately returned from Damascus, accompanied 
by a chokedar, (an officer of the pacha,) in order 
to make an impression on the Bedouins. On 
his arrival he read a letter from the pacha, to 
the following effect : — 

" We make known to all the emirs and sheiks 
of the desert, great and small, encamped on the 
territory of Damascus, that we have appointed 
our son, Nasser Ebn Mehanna, Emir of all the 
Anazes (Bedouins of the desert,) inviting them 
to obey him. The tribe that shall have the 
misfortune to show itself rebellious, shall be de- 
stroyed by our victorious troops, and, as an ex- 
ample, their flocks shall be slaughtered, and 
their women delivered up to the soldiers. Such 
is our will. Signed, 

" Soliman, Pacha of Damascus and Acre." 



56 

Nasser, proud of his new dignity, affected to 
read the order to every body, and to talk Turk- 
ish with the officer of the pacha, which still fur- 
ther increased the disgust of the Bedouins. One 
day whilst we were with him, there arrived a 
very handsome young man, named Zarrak, the 
chief of a neighbouring tribe. Nasser, as usual, 
spoke of his appointment, vaunted the greatness 
and power of the vizier of Damascus, and of the 
sultan of Constantinople " of the long sabre. "* 
Zarrak, who listened with impatience, changing 
colour, rose and said, " Nasser Aga,f learn that 
all the Bedouins detest thee: if thou art dazzled 
by the magnificence of the Turks, go to Damas- 
cus ; adorn thy forehead with the caouk ; J be- 
come the minister of the vizier; dwell in his 
palace ; perhaps thou mayest strike terror into 
the Damascenes ; but we Bedouins care no more 
for thee, thy vizier and thy sultan, than camel 
dung. I shall depart for the territory of Bagdad, 
where I shall find the Drayhy§> Ebn Chahllan ; 
him will I join." 

Nasser, in his turn growing pale with anger, 
transmitted the conversation in Turkish to the 
chokedar, who thought by violent menaces to 
alarm Zarrak. But he, looking at him fiercely, 
said, "It is enough : though you have Nasser 
on your side, I could, if I would, prevent you 
from ever eating bread more." In spite of 



* An Arabic expression implying extent of dominion. 

f A title of a Turkish officer, used in derision by the Be- 
douins. 

* Turban of ceremony, (Turkish.) 
§ Destroyer of the Turks. 



57 

these offensive words, all three preserved their 
coolness; and Zarrak, mounting his horse, 
said to Nasser, " Salam aleik (peace to thee) ; 
display all thy power; I await thee." This 
challenge caused Nasser much trouble ; but he 
still persevered in his alliance with the Turks. 

The following day we learned that Zarrak had 
set out with his tribe for the country of Geziri, 
and a combination of the Bedouins against Nas- 
ser was talked of in all quarters. Mehanna, 
having learned what was passing, called his son 
to him, and said, " Nasser, will you then break 
the pillars of the tent of Melkhgem ?" and taking 
his beard in his hand, " Will you," added he, 
" bring contempt upon this beard at the end of 
my days, and tarnish the reputation I have ac- 
quired? Unhappy man, thou hast not invoked 
the name of God. What I had foreseen, has 
happened. All the tribes will unite with the 
Drayhy. What then will become of us? It 
will only remain for us to humble ourselves be- 
fore Ebn Sihoud, that enemy of our race, who 
styles himself king of the Bedouins ; he alone 
can defend us from the terrible Drayhy." 

Nasser endeavoured to tranquillize his father, 
assuring him that matters were not so bad as he 
feared. However, the Bedouins began to take 
part with one or the other ; but the greater part 
sided with the father, who was in their true in- 
terest. 

Sheik Ibrahim was very dissatisfied; he wished 
to penetrate farther into the desert, and proceed 
as far as Bagdad ; and he found himself bound to 
a tribe that remained between Damascus and 



58 

Horns. He thus lost all the summer, being able 
to remove only with danger of his life. He de- 
sired me to obtain some knowledge respecting 
the Drayhy, to learn his character, the places 
where he passed the summer, where he wintered, 
if he received strangers, and many other par- 
ticulars ; in short, he told me he had the greatest 
interest in being rightly informed. 

These details were difficult to obtain without 
exciting suspicion : it was necessary to find some 
one not of the tribe of El Hassnnee. At length 
I became acquainted with a man named Abdal- 
lah el Chahen (the poet.) Knowing that poets 
are sought after by the great, I asked him about 
all the tribes he had visited, and learned with 
pleasure that he had been for a long time with 
the Drayhy. I obtained from him all the infor- 
mation I had desired 

One day Nasser made me write to Sheik Sad- 
dad, and him of Corietain, to demand from each 
a thousand piastres and six machlas. This claim 
is called right of fraternity: it is an arrangement 
between the sheiks of villages and the more 
powerful chiefs of the Bedouins, to be protected 
against the ravages of the other tribes. This is 
an annual tax. These unhappy villages are 
ruined to satisfy two tyrants — the Bedouins and 
the Turks. 

Mehanna holds this fraternity with all the vil- 
lages of the territories of Damascus, Horns, and 
Hama, which brings him in a revenue of about 
fifty thousand piastres. The pacha of Damascus 
pays him twelve thousand five hundred, and the 
cities of Horns and Hama furnish him besides a 



59 

certain quantity of corn, rice, dried grapes, and 
stuffs. The small tribes bring him butter and 
cheese. In spite of all, he never has any money, 
and is often in debt, without having any expenses 
to incur; which greatly astonished us. We 
learned that he gave all away in presents to the 
most distinguished warriors, either of his own 
tribe or to others, and that he had thus raised 
for himself a powerful party. He is always ill- 
clothed, and when he receives a handsome pe- 
lisse or other article for a present, he gives it to 
the person who happens to be near him at the 
moment. The Bedouin proverb, that generosity 
covers all defects, is amply verified in Mehanna, 
whose liberality alone renders the conduct of 
Nasser bearable. 

A short time after this event we went to en- 
camp, three hours from the Orontes, upon lands 
called El Zididi, on which there are many 
springs. 

Mehanna having one day been with ten horse- 
men to visit the Aga of Horns, returned loaded 
with presents from all the merchants, who culti- 
vate his friendship, because, wheresoever dis- 
satisfied with them, he intercepts their commerce 
and plunders the caravans. — Immediately upon 
his return, Nasser set forth on an expedition 
against the tribe Abdelli, which is commanded 
by the Emir El Doghiani, and encamped near 
Palmyra, on two small hills of equal size, called 
Eldain (the breast;) he returned after three 
days with five hundred camels and two hundred 
sheep. In this affair we lost three men, and 
ZamePs mare was killed under him. On the 



60 

other hand, we took three mares, killed ten men, 
and wounded twenty more. Notwithstanding 
this success, the Bedouins were indignant at 
Nasser's want of faith, who had no cause of ha- 
tred against this tribe. 

On all sides measures were taken with the 
Drayhy, to destroy the tribe El Hassnnee. The 
news reached the Emir Douhi, the chief of the 
tribe Would Ali, a kinsman and intimate friend 
of Mehanna, and who, as well as himself, is 
charged with the escort of the grand caravan ; 
and he came with thirty horsemen to make 
known the danger with which he was threatened. 
The heads of the tribe went out to meet Douhi: 
having entered the tent, Mehanna ordered cof- 
fee; the emir stopped him and said, "Mehanna, 
thy coffee is drunk already ! I come here neither 
to eat nor drink, but to inform thee that the be- 
haviour of thy son Nasser Pacha (for so he styled 
him in derision) is bringing down destruction 
upon thee and thine : know that all the Bedouins 
have leagued together, and are about to declare 
against thee a war of extermination." Mehanna, 
changing colour, exclaimed, "Well, art thou 
now satisfied, Nasser? Thou wilt be the last of 
the race of Melkghem." 

Nasser, still obstinate, replied that he should 
make head against all the Bedouins; and that he 
should have the support of twenty thousand Os- 
manlis, as well as that of Mola Ismael, the chief 
of the Kurdish cavalry, who bears the schako. 
Douhi passed the night in endeavouring to turn 
Nasser from his projects, but without succeed- 
ing: the day following, he departed, saying, 



61 

" My conscience forbids me to join you. Our 
relationship, and the bread we have eaten to- 
gether, prevent me from declaring war against 
you. Farewell; I leave you with sorrow." 

From this moment our time passed very dis- 
agreeably with the Bedouins. We could never 
quit them, for all the people who went to a dis- 
tance from the tents were massacred. There 
were continual attacks on both sides, sudden 
changes of the encampment for greater security, 
alarms, reprisals, incessant disputes between Me- 
hanna and his son; but the old man was so kind 
and so credulous, that Nasser always succeeded 
in persuading him that he was in the right. 

We were told a thousand traits of his simpli- 
city: amongst others, that being at Damascus 
whilst Yousouf Pacha, the grand vizier of the 
Porte, was holding his court there on his return 
from Egypt after the departure of the French, 
Mehanna was presented to him, as well as the 
other grandees; but, being little acquainted 
with Turkish etiquette, he accosted him without 
ceremony and with the Bedouin mode of saluta- 
tion, and placed himself on the divan by his side 
without being invited. Yousouf, equally unac- 
customed to the usages of the Bedouins, and 
ignorant of the dignity of the little shabby old 
man who treated him with such familiarity, 
ordered him to be taken from his presence and 
beheaded. The slaves took him out, and were 
preparing to execute the order, when the Pacha 
of Damascus cried aloud, "Hold! what is it you 
are doing? If there should fall a hair of his 
head, with all your power, you will never send 

F 



62 

another caravan to Mecca." The vizier instantly 
had him brought back, and placed him by his 
side ; he gave him coffee, had him invested with 
a rich Cachemire turban, a rich gombaz (robe,) 
and a pelisse of honour, and presented him with 
a thousand piastres. Mehanna, deaf, and besides 
not understanding Turkish, knew nothing of 
what was passing ; but taking off the fine clothes, 
he gave them to three of his slaves who accom- 
panied him. The vizier asked him, through the 
dragoman, if he was not satisfied with the pre- 
sent. Mehanna replied, "Tell the vizier of the 
sultan, that we Bedouins seek not to distinguish 
ourselves by fine clothes: I am ill clad, but all 
the Bedouins know me ; they know that I am 
Mehanna el Zadel, the son of Melkghem." The 
pacha, not daring to offend him, affected to 
smile, and to be much pleased. 

The summer passed away. By the month of 
October the tribe was in the vicinity of Aleppo. 
My heart beat on finding myself so near my 
home; but, according to our agreement, I could 
not even send news of myself to my friends. 
Sheik Ibrahim desired to pass the winter at 
Damascus — no Bedouin durst conduct us. We 
obtained with great difficulty an escort as far as 
a village, two days from Aleppo, called Soghene 
(the hot. ) The hospitable inhabitants contended 
for the pleasure of receiving us. A natural warm 
bath accounts for the name of the village ; and 
the beauty of its inhabitants may probably be 
attributable to its warm springs. From thence 
we reached Palmyra, but with a difficulty for 
which we were indemnified by the pleasure of 



63 

seeing Sheik Ragial again. After passing a fort- 
night with our friends, we went back to Corie- 
tain, where Sheik Selim and the curate Moussi 
welcomed us with genuine kindness; — they were 
never tired of hearing our accounts of the Be- 
douins. — Sheik Ibrahim satisfied their friendly 
concern about our affairs, by saying that our 
speculation was wonderfully advantageous ; that 
we had gained more than we had expected; 
whilst in reality, between presents and losses, 
we only had remaining the goods deposited with 
Moussi. — We lost thirty days at Corietain in 
preparing for our departure. Winter was ra- 
pidly coming on, and no one durst furnish us 
with cattle, being convinced we should be plun- 
dered on the road. At last, Sheik Ibrahim 
bought a bad horse, I hired an ass, and in mise- 
rable weather, with a freezing wind, we set off, 
accompanied by four men on foot, for the village 
of Dair Antie. After some hours we arrived at 
a defile between two mountains, named Beni el 
Gebelain. At this spot, twenty Bedouin horse- 
men came upon us. Our guides, far from de- 
fending us, hid their guns and remained specta- 
tors of our disaster. The Bedouins stripped us, 
and left us nothing but our shirts. We implored 
them to kill us rather than expose us to the 
cold. At last, touched at our condition, they 
had the generosity to leave each of us a gom- 
baz. As for our beasts, they were too sorry to 
tempt them. Being hardly able to walk, they 
would have only uselessly detained them. Night 
came on, and the cold was excessive, and de- 
prived us of the use of speech. Our eyes were 



64 

red, our skin blue ; at the end of some time I fell 
to the ground, fainting and frozen. Sheik Ibra- 
him in despair made gesticulations to the guides, 
but was unable to speak. One of them, a Syrian 
Christian, took pity upon me and the grief of 
Sheik Ibrahim; he threw down his horse, which 
was also half dead with cold and fatigue, killed 
it, opened the belly, and placed me without con- 
sciousness in the skin, with only my head out. 
At the end of half an hour, I regained my senses, 
quite astonished at finding myself alive again, 
and in so strange a position. Warmth restored 
my speech ; and I earnestly thanked Sheik Ibra- 
him and the good Arab. I took courage, and 
found strength to proceed. A little after, our 
guides cried out, '{Here's the village!" and we 
entered the first house. It belonged to a farrier, 
named Hanna el Bitar. He showed a lively 
sympathy in our situation, set about covering us 
both with camel-dung, and gave us a little wine 
— a few drops at a time : having thus restored 
our strength and warmth, he Withdrew us from 
our dunghill, put us to bed, and made us take 
some good soup. After a sleep, which was in- 
dispensable, we borrowed two hundred piastres 
to pay our guides and carry us to Damascus, 
which we reached the 23d December, 1810. 

M. Chabassan, a French physician, the only 
Frank at Damascus, received us ; but as we were 
to pass the winter here, we afterwards took up 
our quarters in the Lazarist Convent, which 
was abandoned. 

I will not describe the celebrated city of 
Sham (Damascus), the Gate of Glory (Bab el 



65 

Cahbe), as the Turks style it. Our long resi- 
dence has enabled us to know it minutely ; but 
it has been too often visited by travellers to offer 
any new interest. I return to my narrative. 

One day, being at the bazaar to pass away 
the time in the Turkish fashion, we saw running 
towards us a Bedouin, who embraced us, saying, 
" Do you not recollect your brother Hettall, who 
ate your bread at Nuarat el Nahaman?" De- 
lighted with meeting him, we took him home, 
and having regaled him, and asked him many 
questions, we learned that the affairs of the 
tribe Hassnnee were in a bad condition, and 
that the league against them was extending 
daily. Hettall told us that he was of the tribe 
of Would Ali, whose chief, Douhi, was known 
to us. This tribe winters in the territory of 
Sarka and Balka ; it reaches from the country 
of Ismael to the Dead Sea, and returns to Horan 
in the spring. He proposed to us to visit it, 
promising a good sale for our merchandise. 
Having consented, it was agreed that he should 
come for us in the month of March. 

Sheik Ibrahim having received, through the 
intervention of M. Chabassan, a group pf a 
thousand tallaris from Aleppo, desired me to 
make new purchases. When they were com- 
pleted, I showed them to him, and asked whe- 
ther any thing would remain for us at our 
return? "My dear son," he replied, "the 
gratitude of every chief of a tribe brings me 
more than all my merchandise. — Be under no 
concern. You also shall receive your return in 
money and in reputation. You shall be re- 
f2 



66 

nowned in your time ; but I must know all the 
tribes and their chiefs. I depend upon you to 
get to the Drayhy, and for that purpose you 
must absolutely pass for a Bedouin. Let your 
beard grow, dress like them, and imitate their 
usages. Ask no explanations — remember our 
terms." My only reply was, " May God give 
us strength ! ?? 

Twenty times was I on the point of abandon- 
ing an enterprise of which I perceived all the 
dangers without knowing the object. This 
silence, this blind obedience, became insup- 
portable. However, my wish to come to the 
issue, and my attachment to M. Lascaris, gave 
me patience. 

At the time agreed, Hettall arrived with 
three camels and two guides, and we set out 
the 15th March, 1811, one year and twenty- 
eight days after our first departure from Aleppo. 
The tribe was at a place called Misarib, three 
days from Damascus. Nothing remarkable hap- 
pened on the road. We passed the nights under 
a starry sky ; and on the third day, by sunset, 
we were in the midst of the tents of Would 
Ali. The covp d'asil was delightful. Every 
tent was surrounded by horses, camels, goats, 
and sheep, with the lance of the horseman 
planted at the entrance : that of the Emir Douhi 
arose in the centre. He received us with all 
possible consideration, and made us sup with 
him. He is a man of understanding, and is 
equally loved and feared by his people. He" 
commands five thousand tents, and three tribes, 
which are joined to his ; those of Benin Sakhrer, 



67 

of El Serhaan, and El Sarddie. He had divided 
his soldiers into companies or divisions, each 
commanded by one of his kinsmen. 

The Bedouins are fond of hearing stories 
after supper. This is one that the emir told 
us: it depicts the extreme attachment they 
have for their horses, and the self-love they 
manifest with regard to their own qualities. 

One of his tribe, named Giabal, possessed a 
very celebrated mare. Hassad Pacha, then 
vizier of Damascus, made him on various occa- 
sions all sorts of offers to part with it, but in 
vain, for a Bedouin loves his horse as he does 
his wife. The pacha then employed threats, 
but with no better success. At length, another 
Bedouin, named Giafar, came to the pacha, and 
asked what he would give him if he brought 
him GiabaPs mare ? "1 will fill thy barley 
sack with gold," replied Hassad, who felt in- 
dignant at his want of success. This took place 
without transpiring ; and Giabal fastened his 
mare at night by the foot with an iron ring, the 
chain of which passed into his tent, being held 
by a picket fixed in the ground under the very 
felt which served him and his wife as a bed. At 
midnight, Giafar creeps into the tent on all- 
fours, and, insinuating himself between Giabal 
and his wife, gently pushes first the one, and 
then the other : the husband thought his wife 
was pushing, the wife thought the same of the 
husband ; and each made more room. Giafar 
then, with a knife well sharpened, makes a slit 
in the felt, takes out the picket, unties the 
mare, mounts her, and, grasping Giabal's lance, 



68 

pricks him slightly with it, calling out, "It is I, 
Giafar, who have taken thy noble mare ; I give 
thee early notice \" and off he goes. Giabal 
instantly darts from the tent, calls his friends, 
mounts his brother's mare, and pursues Giafar 
for four hours. Giabal's brother's mare was of 
the same blood as his own, though not so good. 
Outstripping all the other horsemen, he was on 
the point qf overtaking Giafar, when he cried 
out, "Pinch her right ear, and give her the 
stirrup." Giafar did so, and flew like light- 
ning. The pursuit was then useless : the dis- 
tance between them was too great. The other 
Bedouins reproached Giabal with being himself 
the cause of the loss of his mare.* "I would 
rather," said he, "lose her, than lower her 
reputation. Would you have me let it be said 
in the tribe of Would &li, that any other mare 
has outrun mine ? I have at least the satisfac- 
tion of saying that no other could overtake 
her." He returned with this consolation, and 
Giafar received the price of his address. 

Some oi.e else related that in the tribe of 
Nedgde there was a mare of equal reputation 
with that belonging to Giabal, and that a Be- 
douin of another tribe, named Daher, was almost 
mad with longing to possess her. Having in 
vain offered all his camels and his riches, he 
determined to stain his face with the juice of 
an herb, to clothe himself in rags, to tie up his 



* Every Bedouin accustoms his horse to some sign when it 
is to put out all its speed. He employs it only on pressing 
occasions, and never confides the secret even to his own son. 



69 

neck and legs like a lame beggar, and, thus 
equipped, to wait for Nabee, the owner of the 
mare, in a road by which he knew he must 
pass. When he drew near, he said to him in a 
feeble voice : " I am a poor stranger : for three 
days I have been unable to stir from this to get 
food: help me, and God will reward you." The 
Bedouin offered to take him on his horse, and 
carry him home ; but the rogue replied : " I 
am not able to rise, I have not strength." The 
other, full of compassion, dismounted, brought 
the mare close, and placed him on her with 
great difficulty. As soon as he found himself in 
the saddle, Daher gave her a touch with the 
stirrup, and went off, saying — " It is I, Daher, 
who have got her and am carrying her off." 

The owner of the mare called out to him to 
listen : sure that he could not be pursued, he 
returned, and stopped at a short distance, for 
Nabbee was armed with his lance. He then 
said to him, "Thou hast my mare; since it 
pleases God, I wish thee success : but, I conjure 
thee, tell no one how thou hast obtained her." 
« Why not?" said Daher. " Because some one 
really ill might remain without aid : you would 
be the cause why no one would perform an act 
of charity more, from the fear of being duped as 
I have been." Struck with these words, Daher 
reflected a moment, dismounted from the horse 
and gave her back to her master, and embraced 
him. Nabee took him home. They remained 
together three days, and swore fraternity. 

Sheik Ibrahim was enchanted with these sto- 
ries, which gave him to understand the charac- 



70 

ter and the generosity of the Bedouins. The 
tribe of Douhi is richer and more rapacious than 
that of Mehanna ; their horses are finer. We 
stayed with them a fortnight. Sheik Ibrahim 
gave presents to all the chiefs, and sold some 
articles to the women, to keep up our character 
of merchants. We then went to visit the three 
tributary sheiks of the Emir Douhi. 

Sheik Ibrahim told me that he had no other 
object in staying among the Bedouins than that 
of giving me an opportunity of studying more 
closely their language and their customs ; that 
it was necessary for his own purposes to get to 
the Drayhy ; but that I must avail myself of our 
roamings amidst the tribes to take exact notes of 
their names and their numbers, which it was most 
important to him to know. 

Their manner of speech is extremely difficult 
to acquire, even for an Arab, although in fact it 
is the same language. I applied myself with 
success. I also learned, in the course of our 
long wanderings, the names of all the sheiks and 
the numbers of all the tribes, a thing which had 
never been accomplished before : I shall give 
the list at the end of my journal. 

The numerous tribes are often obliged to di- 
vide themselves into detachments from two hun- 
dred to five hundred tents, and to occupy a 
large space, in order to procure water and pas- 
turage for their flocks. We went successively 
through their encampments, until we could find 
means to transport ourselves to the Drayhy, who 
was at war with the tribes of the territory of Da- 
mascus. We were universally well received. 



71 

In one tribe it was a poor widow who showed 
us hospitality. In order to regale us, she killed 
her last sheep and borrowed bread. She in- 
formed us that her husband and her three sons 
had been killed in the war against the Waha- 
bees, a formidable tribe in the neighbourhood of 
Mecca. Expressing our astonishment that she 
should rob herself on our account : — " He that 
enters the house of the living," said she, " and 
does not eat, it is as though he were visiting the 
dead." 

One tribe already considerable had been lately 
formed in the following manner : — A Bedouin 
had a very beautiful daughter, whom the chief 
of his tribe demanded in marriage; but he would 
not give her, and in order to avoid his solicita- 
tions he went away furtively with all his family. 
The sheik being told of what had happened, 
some one said: "Serah (he is gone)." " Serhan* 
(he is a wolf)," replied he ; meaning by that, 
that he was a savage. From that time the tribe 
of which this Bedouin became chief, has been 
always called the tribe El Serhan (the wolf.) 
Whenever the Bedouins are courageous and 
have good horses, they in a short time become 
powerful. 

At last we heard of the arrival of the Drayhy 
in Mesopotamia. At this period Sheik Ibrahim 
was obliged to go to Damascus for merchandize 
and money, which were both equally wanting. 
We had made acquaintance there with a Be- 

* A pun not easy to translate : Serah means gone ; Serhan, 
wolf. 



72 

douin of one of the tribes near the Euphrates? 
which had preserved a neutrality in the affair of 
Nasser. This Bedouin, whose name was Gazens 
el Hamad, had come with others to Damascus to 
sell butter. He engaged to carry our goods on 
his camels, and take us to the Drayhy : but alas! 
we were not destined to reach him so easily. 
Scarcely were we come to Corietain, to take 
back our goods left at the depot, when we re- 
ceived news of a victory gained by Zaher, the 
son of the Drayhy, over Nasser ; a victory which 
gave renewed violence to the war. All the 
tribes ranged themselves on one side or the other. 
That of Salkeh, our guide's tribe, had been at- 
tacked by the Drayhy, who was following up his 
advantages with great inveteracy, and no one 
dared to cross the desert. M. Lascaris was in 
despair. He could neither eat nor sleep : in 
short, exasperated to the highest degree at find- 
ing himself stopped in his projects, he even 
found fault with me. I then said to him, — " It 
is now time we should understand one another. 
If you wish to get to the Drayhy for the purpose 
of trading, it is utter madness, and I decline to 
follow you. If you have other projects or mjr- 
tives adequate to the exposure of your life, let 
me know them, and you shall find me ready to 
sacrifice myself to serve you." "Well then, 
my dear son!" said he, "I will trust you: 
know that this commerce is merely a pretence 
to conceal a mission with which I was charged 
at Paris. These are my instructions, reduced 
to ten heads. 



73 

1. To set out from Paris to Aleppo. 

2. To find a zealous Arab, and to attach him 
to me as interpreter. 

3. To acquire a knowledge of the language. 

4. To go to Palmyra. 

5. To penetrate amongst the Bedouins. 

6. To become acquainted with all the chiefs, 
and to gain their friendship. 

7. To unite them together in the same cause. 

8. To induce them to break off all alliance with 
the Osmanlis. 

9. To get acquainted with the whole desert, 
the halting- places, and where water and pas- 
turage are to be found, as far even as the fron- 
tiers of India. 

10. To return to Europe, safe and sound, after 
having accomplished my mission." 

"And. after that?" said I; — but he imposed 
silence. " Recollect our conditions," added 
he ; "I will let you know all by degrees. At 
present let it suffice to know that I must reach 
the Drayhy, even though it should cost me my 
life." 

This half-confidence vexed me, and prevent- 
ed sleep in my turn : to find difficulties almost 
insurmountable, and to perceive but very con- 
fusedly the advantages of my devotion, was suf- 
ficiently disheartening. However, I took the 
resolution of persevering to the end, as I was so 
far engaged, and I dwelt only on the means of 
success. My beard had sprouted ; I was per- 
fectly versed in the language of the Bedouins ; 
I resolved to go alone and on foot to the Drayhy: 
it was the only possible chance to be attempted. 

G 



74 

I went to seek my friend Wardi, who had recall- 
ed me to life by putting me into his horse's belly, 
and communicated to him my intention. After 
having endeavoured to divert me from it, by 
telling me that the fatigue would be great ; that 
there would be ten painful nights' march ; that 
we must hide ourselves by day, not to be seen on 
the road ; that we should be unable to carry 
with us what was strictly necessary : seeing that 
nothing could make me retract, he engaged to 
go with me as guide, in consideration of a large 
sum of money. Having told my resolution to 
M. Lascaris, he also made many friendly objec- 
tions on the score of the dangers I should incur; 
but, in reality, I perceived that he was well 
pleased with me. 

We settled all our matters ; I agreed to write 
to him by the return of my guide, after having 
arrived at the Drayhy ; and the night was far 
advanced when we threw ourselves on our beds. 
I was very much agitated ; my sleep evinced it, 
and I soon woke M. Lascaris by my cries. I 
dreamt that being at the top of a steep rock, at 
the foot of which flowed a rapid river that I was 
unable to pass, I had lain down at the brink of 
the precipice, and that all at once a tree had 
taken root in my mouth ; that it grew, and spread 
its branches like a green tent, but in growing it 
tore my throat, and its roots penetrated into my 
entrails ; and I uttered violent cries. Having 
related my dream to Sheik Ibrahim, he was in 
great wonder at it, and declared that it was an 
excellent omen, and prognosticated after many 
difficulties important results. 



75 

It was essential that I should be covered with 
rags, in order not to excite suspicion or cupidity 
if we were discovered on the road. This was 
my costume for the journey : a coarse cotton 
shirt pieced ; a dirty torn gombaz ; an old caflie, 
with a bit of linen, once white, for a turban ; a 
sheepskin cloak with half the wool off, and shoes 
mended to the weight of four pounds : besides 
these, a leather belt, from which hung a knife 
worth two paras, a steel, a little tobacco in an 
old bag, and a pipe. I blackened my eyes, and 
dirtied my face, and then presented myself to 
Sheik Ibrahim to take my leave. On seeing me, 
he shed tears: — " May God," said he, " give 
you strength enough to accomplish your gener- 
ous design ! I shall owe every thing to your 
perseverance. May the Almighty be with you 
and preserve you from all danger ! may he blind 
the wicked, and bring you back that I may re- 
ward you !" I could hardly refrain from tears 
in my turn. At last, however, the conversation 
becoming more cheerful, Sheik Ibrahim said 
smilingly, that if I were to go to Paris in this 
costume, I should get much money by showing 
myself. — We supped ; and at sunset we depart- 
ed. I walked without fatigue till midnight: but 
then my feet began to swell. My shoes hurt 
me, and I took them off; the thorns of the plants 
the camels browse on pricked me, and the small 
stones wounded me. I tried to put on my shoes; 
and in continual suffering I walked on till morn- 
ing. A little grotto gave us shelter for the day. 
I wrapped my feet in a piece of my cloak that I 
tore off, and slept without having strength to 



76 

take any nourishment. I was still asleep when 
my guide called me to depart: my feet were 
much swollen — my heart failed me — I wished to 
wait till the following day. My conductor re- 
proached me for my weaknes : — " I knew well 
enough/' said he, " that you were too delicate 
for such a journey. I before told you that it 
was impossible to stop here : if we pass the night, 
we must also pass the next day ; our provisions 
will be consumed, and we shall die of hunger in 
the desert. We had better give up our under- 
taking while there is yet time." 

These words reanimated me, and we set off. 
I dragged myself along with difficulty till near 
midnight, when we came to a plain, in which 
the sand rose and fell in undulations: here we 
rested ourselves till day. The first dawn en- 
abled us to perceive at a distance two objects, 
which we took for camels. My guide, alarmed, 
dug a hole in the sand, to conceal us; we got in 
up to the neck, leaving only our heads out. In 
this painful situation we remained with our eyes 
fixed on the supposed camels, when, about noon, 
Wardi exclaimed, "God be praised! they are 
only ostriches." We got out of our grave with 
joy, and for the first time since our departure I 
ate a little cake and drank a drop of water. We 
remained there till night, awaiting the time to 
move forward. Being then in the midst of the 
sands, I suffered less in walking. We passed 
the next day in sleeping. We were opposite 
Palmyra, to the south. Daybreak, after the 
fourth night, overtook us at the bank of a large 
river called El Rahib, running from south to 



77 

north ; my guide stripped, and carried me on his 
back to the other side, and then returned for his 
clothes. I wished to rest myself, but he told me 
it would not be prudent to stop where the river 
was fordable. In fact, we had not proceeded 
half an hour, when we saw five hundred well- 
mounted Bedouins approaching the river, going 
from the east to the west. Having found some 
low bushes, we halted amongst them till night. 
The sixth night brought us within some hours 
of the Euphrates. The seventh day, the great 
difficulty was over; and if I had not suffered so 
much in my feet, I could have forgotten all my 
fatigues at the sight of the sunrise on the banks 
of that magnificent river. Some hospitable Be- 
douins, whose occupation it is to take people 
over from one side to the other, took us into 
their tents, where for the first time we made a 
hearty meal. We obtained intelligence respect- 
ing the Drayhy: he was at three days' distance 
between. Zaite and Zauer. He had made peace 
with the Emir Fahed, imposing tribute on him; 
they spoke to me of his military talents and his 
extreme courage, of his intention to annihilate 
Mehanna and Nasser, and to return to his desert 
near Bassora and Bagdad. These details were 
just as I was wishing: I took my resolution im- 
mediately. I asked for a guide to take me to 
the Drayhy, telling the Bedouins that I was a 
merchant of Aleppo, having a correspondent at 
Bagdad, who owed me twenty-five thousand 
piastres, and who had just become bankrupt: 
that the war between the Bedouins had inter- 
cepted the communications, and I had no other 
g2 



78 

resource than to risk myself alone, and put my- 
self under the protection of the Drayhy to get to 
Bagdad, where all my fortune was at stake. 
These kind Bedouins offered vows to Allah that 
I might recover my money; and Wardi himself 
took more interest in my journey, when he un- 
derstood its importance. After having passed 
the day in examining the tribe Beni Tay, we 
departed the next day well escorted; and nothing 
interesting occurred on our march. We saw 
the setting sun of the third day gild the five 
thousand tents of the Drayhy, which covered 
the plain as far as the eye could reach. Sur 
rounded by camels, horses, and flocks, which 
concealed the earth, never had I seen such a 
spectacle of power and wealth. The emir's tent 
in the centre was a hundred and sixty feet long. 
He received me very politely, and without any 
question proposed to me to sup with him. After 
supper, he said to me: "Whence do you come, 
and whither are you going?" I replied as I had 
done to the Bedouins of the Euphrates. " You 
are welcome, then," said he; "your arrival will 
cause a thousand benedictions. Please God you 
will succeed ; but, according to our custom, we 
cannot speak of business till after three days de- 
voted to hospitality and repose." I made the 
customary thanks, and retired. The next day 
I despatched Wardi to M. Lascaris. 

The Drayhy is a man of fifty, tall, and of a 
handsome countenance, with a small beard en- 
tirely white ; his aspect is stern ; he is considered 
as the most able of all the chiefs of tribes? he 
has two sons, Zaer and Sahdoun : they are mar- 



79 

ried, and dwell in the same tent as himself. His 
tribe, called El Dualla, is numerous and very- 
rich. Chance favoured me wonderfully from 
the first day of my arrival. The emir was in 
want of a secretary ; I offered to assist him for 
the moment, and I soon gained his confidence 
by the hints and the information I was able to 
give him regarding the tribes I had studied. 
When I spoke to him of my own business, he 
expressed so much regret at seeing me about to 
depart, that I feigned to yield to his wishes. 
He said, "If you will remain with me, you shall 
be like my son; all that you say shall be done." 
I availed myself of this confidence, to induce 
him to pass over the Euphrates, in order to 
bring him nearer to Sheik Ibrahim : I suggested 
to him all the influence he might gain over the 
tribes of the country, by withdrawing them from 
Nasser: I represented to him all the presents 
they would be obliged to offer him; the terror 
with which he would inspire the Osmanlis, and 
the mischief he would do his enemies by consu- 
ming their pasturage. As it was the first time 
he was quitting the desert of Bagdad to come 
into Mesopotamia, my advice and my informa- 
tion were a great resource to him, and he fol- 
lowed them. The departure was superb to 
witness. The horsemen before, on horses of 
high pedigree; women on howdahs magnificently 
draped, and on dromedaries, surrounded by ne- 
gress slaves. Men, loaded with provisions, were 
running throughout the caravan, calling out: 
"Who is hungry?" and distributing bread, 
dates, &c. Every three hours, a halt was made, 



80 

to take coffee ; and at night the tents were raised 
as if by enchantment. We followed the banks 
of the Euphrates, whose clear waters gleamed 
like silver: I myself was mounted on a mare of 
pure blood; and the whole journey appeared 
like a triumphal march, presenting a strong con- 
trast with my former passage over the same coun- 
try, in my rags and with my tortured feet. 

On the fourth day, the Emir Zahed met us 
with a thousand horse. All sorts of sports ensued 
on horseback and with lance. At night, the 
Drayhy, his sons, and myself, went to sup in the 
tribe of Zahed. The day following, we crossed 
the river, encamped on the Damascus territory, 
and kept advancing westward. We then en- 
camped at El Jaffet, in the pachalik of Aleppo. 
The report of the arrival of the Drayhy was 
quickly spread, and he received from Mehanna 
a letter beginning with their respective titles, 
and continuing thus: 

"In the name of God most merciful, health! 
We have learnt with surprise that you have 
passed the Euphrates, and are advancing into 
the provinces left us by our fathers. Do you 
then think that you alone can devour the pasture 
of all the birds? Know that we have so many 
warriors that we are unable to number them. 
Besides, we shall be supported by the valiant 
Osmanlis, whom nothing can resist: we counsel 
you to return by the road by which you came ; 
otherwise all conceivable misfortunes will befall 
you, and repentance will come too late." 

On reading this letter, I saw the Drayhy 
growing pale with anger; his eyes flashed fire. 



81 

After a momentary silence, "Katib," said he, in 
a terrible voice, "take your pen, and write to 
this dog !" 

This was the answer: — "I have read your 
menaces, which with me do not weigh a grain of 
mustard. I shall lower your flag, and purify the 
earth from you and your renegade of a son, Nas- 
ser. As for the territory you claim, the sword 
shall decide it. Soon will I set forward to 
exterminate you. Prepare yourself. War is 
declared." 

Then addressing myself to the Drayhy: "I 
have some advice to give you," said I. " You 
are a stranger here ; you know not which party 
the tribes of the country will espouse. Me- 
hanna is loved by the Bedouins, and supported 
by the Turks ; you are about to undertake a 
war, without knowing the number of your ene- 
mies. If you experience a single defeat, all 
will combine against you, and you will not be 
strong enough to resist. Send then a message 
to the neighbouring sheiks to tell them that you 
are come to destroy the tents of Melkghem, 
in order to free them from the yoke of the Os- 
manlis ; and demand of them to declare them- 
selves. Thus, being aware of your force, you 
may compare it with theirs, and act in conse- 
quence." — "You are truly a man of sage coun- 
sel," said the Drayhy, delighted with my sug- 
gestion. "I am nothing of myself," I replied: 
"it is by the favour of my master, if I know 
any thing: it is he who is the man of wisdom 
and knowledge, and well skilled in affairs : he 
alone is capable of giving you advice. You 



82 

would be enchanted with him, if you could 
know him. I am sure that if you had him with 
you, and were aided by his sagacity, you would 
become chief of all the Bedouins of the desert." 
u I will instantly send a hundred horsemen to 
bring him," said the Drayhy, with alacrity. 
u We are still too far off," said I ; " the jour- 
ney would be painful ; when we get nearer to 
Corietain I will bring him to you." 

I was fearful of some untoward accident to 
the Sheik Ibrahim ; and wished to be near him, 
to present him myself. I was so attached to 
him, that I could have sacrificed myself a thou- 
sand times to do him service. 

But to return to our council of war. The 
Drayhy gave me a list, to write to ten of the 
principal sheiks of the tribes. This was his 
letter : 

" I have left my country to come and deliver 
you from the tyranny of Nasser, who wishes to 
become your master by the power of the Turks ; 
to change your usages, destroy your manners, 
and subject you to the Osmanlis. I have declared 
war against him ; tell me frankly if you are for 
him or for me ; and let those who will aid me 
come and join me. — Health !" 

The next day, having despatched ten horse- 
men with these letters, we advanced into the 
extensive and beautiful territory of Chaumerie, 
thirty hours from Hama. After a short absence, 
our messengers returned. The Emir Douhi, 
and the Sheik Sellame, answered that they 
should preserve a neutrality ; Sheik Cassem, the 
kinsman of Mehanna, declared for him ; the 



83 

remaining seven tribes came and encamped 
around us, their sheiks promising the Drayhy 
to partake his dangers for life or for death. 
However, our spies brought intelligence that 
Mehanna in alarm had sent Nasser to Hama to 
obtain assistance from the Turks. The Drayhy 
immediately assembled his army, eight thousand 
strong, six thousand horse, and a thousand de- 
loulmardoufs, — that is to say, a thousand ca- 
mels, each carrying two men armed with 
matchlocks, — and began to march on the fourth 
day ; leaving orders for the rest of the tribe to 
follow the second day after, in order the more 
to stimulate the courage of his warriors in the 
battle, by the vicinity of their wives and chil- 
dren. I remained with the latter, and we went 
to encamp at El Jamie, one hour from the tribe 
El Hassnnee, and two days from Hama. On 
the fifth day, the Drayhy announced to us a 
brilliant victory ; and shortly afterwards arrived 
the camels, sheep, horses and arms, taken from 
the enemy. The men, who had been obliged 
to remain at the tents in charge of the baggage, 
went out to meet the conquerors, and demand 
their share of the spoil, to which they are enti- 
tled ; and the army soon appeared in triumph. 
The Drayhy had taken Mehanna rather by 
surprise, during the absence of Nasser ; but 
the tribe of Hassnnee having shouted their war- 
cry, the combatants proved nearly equal in 
numbers ; the battle lasted till night. Our war- 
riors lost twenty-two men ; but they killed 
twice as many of the enemy, and took posses- 
sion of their flocks. Zaher also took the mare 



84 

of Fares, the son of Mehanna, which amongst 
the Bedouins is reckoned a glorious exploit. 

After his defeat, Mehanna crossed the Oron- 
tes at the north of Hama, and encamped near 
Horns, to await the Osmanlis and return with 
them to take his revenge. In fact, on the fifth 
day, the shepherds ran crying that the Turks 
headed by Nasser were taking possession of the 
flocks. Immediately our warriors flew in pur- 
suit, and overtook them, when a more terrible 
battle than the first was fought, during which 
the enemy drove off a great part of our cattle 
towards his camp. The advantage remained 
with our men, who carried off a considerable 
spoil from the Turks ; but the loss of our flocks 
was considerable. We had to regret the loss 
of only twelve men, but amongst them was the 
nephew of the Drayhy, Ali, whose death was 
universally lamented. His uncle remained three 
days without eating; and swore by Almighty 
God that he would kill Nasser, to revenge the 
death of Ali. 

Attacks were taking place every day ; the 
Osmanlis of Damascus, Horns, and Hama were 
in a state of consternation, and attempted to 
collect together the Arabs of Horam and Idu- 
mea. Several tribes of the desert arrived, 
some to reinforce the Drayhy, others Mehanna. 
No caravan could pass from one city to another; 
the advantages were almost all on the side of 
the Drayhy. One day, by a singular coinci- 
dence, Fares took from us a hundred and twenty 
camels that were pasturing two leagues from 
the tents ; while at the same instant Zaher car- 



85 

ried off the like number of theirs. This simul- 
taneous movement prevented either the one or 
the other from being pursued. They also had 
time to secure their capture. But this war of 
reprisals of cattle and plunder was about to as- 
sume a character of ferocity and extermination. 
The signal for it was given by the Dallati 
Turks, under the conduct of Nasser, who, hav- 
ing taken from the tribe of Beni Kraleb two 
women and a girl, carried them to the village of 
Zany-el-Abedin. Nasser gave the women to 
the soldiers ; and assigned to the aga the young 
girl, who in the middle of the night revenged 
her honour by poniarding the Turk in his sleep. 
Her vigorous arm pierced his heart and left 
him dead ; and then escaping without noise, 
she rejoined her tribe, and spread indignation 
and rage among the Bedouins, who swore to die 
or slay Nasser, and to fill vessels with his blood, 
to distribute among the tribes as a memorial of 
their vengeance. 

This penalty was not long postponed ; an en- 
gagement having taken place between a party 
commanded by Zaher, and another under the 
orders of Nasser, the two chiefs, whose hatred 
was mutual, sought each other out, and fought 
together with fury. The Bedouins remained 
spectators of the battle between these warriors, 
equal in valour and skill. The contest was long 
and terrible : at length their tired horses no 
longer able promptly to obey the motions of their 
riders, Nasser received the thrust of Zaher's 
lance, which pierced him through and through : 
he fell; his men ran away, or gave up their 

H 



86 

horses:* Zaher cut the body of Nasser to 
pieces, put it in a couffe (wicker basket), and 
sent it to Mehanna's camp by a prisoner, whose 
nose he cut off. He then returned to his tribe 
exulting in his revenge. 

Mehanna sent to ask aid of the Bedouins of 
Chamma, of Neggde, and of the Wahabees : 
they promised to come to his support the follow- 
ing year, the time being then come for their 
return to 'the East. As we were encamped 
very near Corietain, I proposed to go and fetch 
Sheik Ibrahim. The Drayhy accepted my 
offer with eagerness, and gave me a strong es- 
cort. I cannot describe the happiness I felt at 
again seeing M. Lascaris, who received me with 
great warmth of heart ; — as for me, I embraced 
him as my father, for I had never known mine, 
who died in my early infancy. I spent the 
night in relating to him all that had passed. 
The next day, taking leave of our friends, the 
curate Moussi and Sheik Selim, I took away 
Sheik Ibrahim, who was received with the 
highest distinction by the Drayhy. A grand 
feast of camel's flesh was prepared, which I 
found less disagreeable than the first time, for I 
was beginning to be accustomed to the food of 
the Bedouins. The camels intended for killing 
are as white as snow, and are never either 
worked or fatigued ; the meat is red and very 
fat. The female gives great abundance of milk ; 
the Bedouins drink it continually, and give the 
rest to their horses of pedigree, which greatly 

* When a Bedouin voluntarily gives up his horse to his 
adversary, he may neither kill him nor make him prisoner. 



87 

strengthens them : in this way they consume all 
the milk, as it is not suited to make into butter. 
We came at last to think the taste preferable to 
that of goat's or sheep's milk. 

An attack of the Wahabees a short time after 
the arrival of M. Lascaris cost the Drayhy some 
horsemen and much cattle. The next day Sheik 
Ibrahim took me aside and said, " I am pleased 
with the Drayhy; he is just the man I want; 
but it is indispensable that he should become the 
chief of all the Bedouins from Aleppo to the 
frontiers of India. It is to you I look to arrange 
the matter, by friendship, by threats, or by arti- 
fice ; this must be effected." " You are im- 
posing a difficult undertaking," I replied. 
u Every tribe has its chief; they are enemies of 
dependence, and never have they submitted to 
any yoke. I fear, if you should engage in any 
such project, that something disastrous will hap- 
pen to you." " Still it must absolutely be done," 
replied M. Lascaris ; " exert all your capacity; 
without that we shall not succeed." 

I reflected a long time upon the best means of 
setting about the business. The first point was 
to inspire the Bedouins with a high idea of Sheik 
Ibrahim ; and to effect this, as they are supersti- 
tious and credulous to excess, we got up a few 
chemical experiments with phosphorus and ful- 
minating powder, hoping to astonish them. Ac- 
cordingly, at night, when the chiefs of the 
tribe were met together under the tent of the 
Drayhy, Sheik Ibrahim, with a majestic air and 
admirable dexterity, produced effects that struck 
them with surprise and amazement. From that 



88 

moment he appeared to them a sorcerer, a ma- 
gician, or rather a divinity. 

The next day the Drayhy called me and said, 
"Oh, Abdallah! your master is a god !" " No," 
replied I, " but rather a prophet ; what you 
witnessed yesterday is nothing compared to the 
power he has acquired by his profound science; 
he is the remarkable man of the age. Learn 
that, if he would, he is capable of making you 
king of all the Bedouins : he discerned that the 
comet which appeared some time ago was your 
star, that is, is superior to that of the other 
Arabs, and that if you will follow his advice in 
every point, you will become all-powerful." 
This idea pleased him extremely. The desire 
of command and of glory sprang up with violence 
in his breast ; and, by a coincidence truly extra- 
ordinary, I had divined the object of his super- 
stition, for he exclaimed, " Oh, Abdallah, I see 
that you speak truth, and that your master is 
really a prophet. I had a dream some time ago, 
in which some fire, separating from a comet, fell 
upon my tent and consumed it, and I took this 
fire in my hand and it did not burn me. That 
comet surely was my star." He then called his 
wife, and begged her to relate herself the dream 
as he had told it her on awaking. I availed my- 
self of the circumstance to confirm still more ef- 
fectually the superiority of Sheik Ibrahim, and 
the Drayhy promised me to follow all his advice 
for the future. M. Lascaris, delighted at this 
fortunate commencement, selected from his goods 
a handsome present, to give to the Drayhy, who 
accepted it with the greatest pleasure, and per- 



89 

ceived in it a proof that it was not to enrich 
ourselves that we were endeavouring to counsel 
him. From that time he made us eat with his 
wife and daughters-in-law, in the interior of their 
tent, instead of eating with strangers in the rabha. 
His wife, a descendant of a great family, and sis- 
ter of a minister of Ebn Sihoud, is named Sugar: 
she enjoys a high reputation for courage and 
generosity. 

Whilst we were establishing our influence over 
the Drayhy, a minor enemy was working in the 
shade to destroy our hopes and ruin us. There 
is in every tribe a pedler, who sells to the wo- 
men various articles he brings from Damascus* 
The one belonging to our tribe, whose name was 
Absi, filled besides the office of scribe to the 
Drayhy ; but ever since our arrival he had lost 
both his office and his custom. He naturally 
felt a great antipathy for us, and sought every 
possible means to calumniate us before the Be- 
douins, beginning with the women, whom he 
persuaded that we were magicians ; that we 
wanted to carry oif their daughters into a far 
country, and throw a spell round the women 
that they might have no more children ; that 
thus the race of the Bedouins would become ex- 
tinct, and that Frank conquerors would come 
and take possession of the country. We soon 
felt the effects of his calumnies, without knowing 
their cause. The girls fled at our approach ; 
the women called us opprobrious names ; the 
elderly ones even threatened us. Amongst an 
ignorant and credulous people, where the women 
possess great influence, such a danger might have 
h2 



90 

become serious. At last we found out these in- 
trigues of Absi, and acquainted the Drayhy with 
them, who would have put him to death on the 
spot. We had great difficulty in getting him 
only dismissed from the tribe, which in fact only 
gave him further opportunity to extend his ma- 
lice. A village called Mohadan, hitherto tribu- 
tary to Mehanna, had become so to the Drayhy 
since his victories. This chief having demand- 
ed a thousand piastres that were due to him, the 
inhabitants, at the instigation of Absi, maltreated 
the Emir's messenger, who punished them by 
carrying off their flocks. Absi persuaded the 
village chiefs to come with him to Damascus, and 
declare to the Capidji Bashi that two Frank spies 
had gained the confidence of the Drayhy, had 
made him commit all kinds of injustice, and were 
endeavouring to make him withdraw the Bedou- 
ins from their alliance with the Osmanlis. This 
denunciation was made before the Vizier Soly- 
man Pacha, who sent a chokedar to the Drayhy, 
with a threatening letter, concluding with order- 
ing him to deliver up the two infidels to his offi- 
cer, that they might be led in chains to Damas- 
cus, where their public execution would operate 
as an example. 

The Drayhy, enraged at the insolence of this 
letter, said to the Mussulman officer, "By Him 
who has raised the heavens, and lowered the 
earth, if thou wert not beneath my tent, I would 
cut off thy head, and tie it to my horse's tail ; 
and thus should he bear my answer to your vizier. 
As to the two strangers who are with me, I shall 
never deliver them up while I live. If he wants 



91 

them, let him come and take them by the power 
of his sword \" 

I then took the Drayhy aside, and entreated 
him to compose himself, and leave it to me to 
settle the affair. 

I knew that M. Lascaris was intimately con- 
nected with Solyman Pacha, and that a letter 
from him would produce an effect that the Dray- 
hy little expected. M. Lascaris, whilst with 
the French expedition in Egypt, had married a 
Georgian, brought with the women of Murad 
Bey, who proved to be cousin to Solyman Pacha. 
Subsequently he had occasion to go to Acre ; 
his wife made knowm her relationship to the pa- 
cha, and was loaded by him with kindness and 
presents, as well as her husband. 

M. Lascaris therefore wrote to Solyman Pa- 
cha, informing him that the pretended spies 
were no other than himself and his dragoman, 
Fatalla Sayeghir ; that all that had been said 
against the Drayhy was false ; that it was, on 
the contrary, for the interest of the Porte to 
cultivate his friendship, and to favour his pre- 
ponderance over the other Bedouins. The 
chokedar, who was trembling for his life, hast- 
ened to bear the letter to Damascus, and re- 
turned in two days with a most friendly an- 
swer to Sheik Ibrahim, and another for the 
Drayhy, of which these are the contents. — 
After many compliments to the emir, he adds : 
" We have received a letter from our dear 
friend, the great Sheik Ibrahim, which destroys 
the calumnies of your enemies, and gives most 
satisfactory testimony regarding you. Your 



92 

wisdom is made known to us. Henceforward 
we authorize you to command in the desert, ac- 
cording to your good pleasure. From us you 
shall receive only acts of friendship. We rate 
you above your equals. We commend to you 
our well-beloved Sheik Ibrahim, and Abdallah : 
their satisfaction will increase our regard for 
you," &c. The Drayhy and other chiefs were 
greatly astonished at the great credit of Sheik 
Ibrahim with the pacha. This incident crowned 
their consideration towards us. 

I have said that the Drayhy was surnamed the 
Exterminater of the Turks ; I inquired the ori- 
gin of this epithet. This is what Sheik Abdal- 
lah told me. The Drayhy having once plun- 
dered a caravan that was going from Damascus 
to Bagdad, the pacha was extremely enraged ; 
but not daring openly to avenge himself, dissem- 
bled, according to the practice of the Turks, 
and induced him by fair promises to come to 
Bagdad. The Drayhy, frank and loyal, suspect- 
ed no treachery, and went to the pacha with his 
ordinary train of ten horsemen. He was imme- 
diately seized, bound, thrown into a dungeon, 
and threatened with the loss of his head, if he 
did not pay for his ransom a thousand purses, 
(a million piastres,) five thousand sheep, twenty 
mares of the kahillan breed, and twenty drome- 
daries. The Drayhy, leaving his son as hostage, 
went to raise this enormous ransom ; and as soon 
as he had discharged it, he resolved on taking 
his revenge. The caravans and the villages 
were plundered; and Bagdad was itself block- 
aded. The pacha, having collected his troops, 



93 

came out with an army of thirty thousand men 
and some pieces of cannon against the Drayhy, 
who, supported by the allied tribes, gave him 
battle, which lasted three days; but finding that 
he was gaining no decisive advantage, retired 
silently in the night, turned the pacha's army, 
and placing himself between it and Bagdad, at- 
tacked it unexpectedly on several points at the 
same time. Surprised by night, and on the 
quarter which was without defence, a panic 
seized the enemy's camp. The confusion be- 
came general among the Osmanlis; and the 
Drayhy made a great slaughter of them, remain- 
ing master of an immense booty. The pacha 
escaped alone and with difficulty, and shut him- 
self up in Bagdad. This exploit spread such 
terror among the inhabitants, that even after the 
peace, his name continued an object of dread. 
Abdallah recounted many other achievements of 
the Drayhy, and ended with saying that he loved 
grandeur and difficulties, and wished to subject 
all to his dominion. 

These were precisely the qualities that Sheik 
Ibrahim desired to find in him: he therefore de- 
voted himself more and more to the project of 
making him master of all the other tribes; but 
the Wahabees were formidable adversaries, who 
a few days afterwards fell upon the tribe Would 
Ali, and spread themselves over the desert to 
force the Bedouins to pay them a tenth. Alarm- 
ed at the approach of these terrible warriors, 
many tribes were about to submit, when Sheik 
Ibrahim persuaded the Drayhy that it was for 



94 

his own honour to take the field, and declare 
himself protector of the oppressed. 

Encouraged by his example, all the tribes, 
with the exception of that of El Hassnnee, and 
Beni Sakhrer, made alliance with him to resist 
the Wahabees. The Drayhy marched with an 
army of five thousand horse, and two thousand 
mardouffs. We were ten days without receiving 
any intelligence. The anxiety in the camp was 
excessive; symptoms of dissatisfaction against us 
were becoming apparent, for being the instiga- 
tors of the perilous expedition ; our lives might 
possibly have paid the penalty of our temerity, 
if the uncertainty had lasted much longer. On 
the next day, at noon, a horseman arrived at full 
speed, waving his white belt at the end of his 
lance, and shouting aloud, "God has given us 
the victory!" Sheik Ibrahim gave magnificent 
presents to the bearer of this good news, which 
relieved the tribe from serious alarm, and our- 
selves from no small peril. Shouting and dan- 
cing round lighted fires, cattle slain, and pre- 
parations for a festival to welcome the warriors, 
set the camp in an unusual agitation; and all 
this active arrangement executed by the women, 
presented a most original spectacle. At night, 
all the camp went forth to meet the victorious 
army, the dust they raised being seen in the dis- 
tance. As soon as we met, the cries were re- 
doubled. Jousting, racing, firing, and all pos- 
sible demonstrations of joy, accompanied us back 
to the camp. After our repast we obtained a 
recital of the exploits of the warriors. 



95 

The Wahabees were commanded by a doughty 
negro, a half-savage, whose name was Abu-Noc- 
ta. When he prepares for battle, he takes off 
his turban and boots, draws up his sleeves to his 
shoulders, and leaves his body almost naked, 
which is of prodigious size and muscular 
strength. His head and chin, never being 
shaved, are overshadowed by a bushy head of 
hair and black beard, which cover his entire 
face, his eyes gleaming beneath the shade. His 
whole body, too, is hairy, and affords a sight as 
strange as it is frightful. The Drayhy came up 
to him three days from Palmyra, at a spot called 
Heroualma. The battle was most obstinate on 
both sides, but ended in the flight of Abu-Noc- 
ta, who removed to the country of Neggde, leav- 
ing two hundred slain on the field of battle. The 
Drayhy searched out among the spoils all that 
had been taken from the tribe Would Ali, and 
restored it. This act of generosity still further 
attached to him the affection of the other tribes, 
who were coming daily to put themselves under 
his protection. The report of this victory gained 
over the terrible Abu-Nocta was disseminated 
everywhere. Solyman Pacha sent the conqueror 
a pelisse of honour, and a magnificent sabre, with 
his congratulations. Soon after this exploit we 
encamped on the frontiers of Horan. 

One day, a Turkish mollah arrived at the 
Drayhy's; he wore the large green turban that 
distinguishes the descendants of Mahomet, a 
white flowing robe, his eyes blackened, and an 
enormous beard ; he wore also several rows of 
chaplets, and an inkstand in the form of a dagger 



96 

at his belt. He rode on an ass, and carried in 
his hand an arrow. He was come to instil his 
fanaticism into the Bedouins, and excite in them 
a great zeal for the religion of the Prophet, in 
order to attach them to the cause of the Turks. 
The Bedouins are of great simplicity of char- 
acter, and remarkable for their frankness. They 
do not understand differences of religion, and do 
not willingly allow them to be spoken of. They 
are deists ; they invoke the protection of God in 
all the events of life, and refer to him their suc- 
cess or their failures with humble resignation; 
but they have no ceremonies or obligatory ritual, 
and make no distinction between the sects of 
Omar and of Ali, which divide the East. They 
never inquired what was our religion. We told 
them that we were Christians ; their answer was, 
"All men are equal in the sight of God, and are 
his creatures; we have no right to inquire what 
is the creed of other men." This discretion on 
their part was much more favourable to our pro- 
jects than the fanaticism of the Turks; so that 
the arrival of the mollah gave some anxiety to 
Sheik Ibrahim, who went to the tent of the 
Drayhy, where he found the conference already 
begun, or rather the preaching, to which the 
chiefs were listening with a dissatisfied air. As 
they all arose at our entrance to salute us, the 
mollah inquired who we were, and having learnt 
that we were Christians: — "It is forbidden," 
said he, "by the laws of God, to rise before in- 
fidels ; you will be cursed for holding intercourse 
with them ; your wives will be illegitimate, and 
your children bastards. Such is the decree of 



97 

our lord, Mahomet, whose name be for ever 
venerated!" 

The Drayhy, without waiting for the end of 
his speech, got up in a rage, seized him by the 
beard, threw him down, and drew his sabre ; 
Sheik Ibrahim sprang forward, withheld his 
arm, and conjured him to moderate his anger: 
at length, the emir consented to cut off his 
beard instead of his he^;!, and drove him away 
with ignominy. 

The Drayhy having attacked the tribe of 
Beni-Sakhrer, the only one which still opposed 
him, beat it completely. 

However, as the autumn was now come, we 
commenced our return towards the east. As 
we approached Horns, the governor sent the 
Drayhy forty camels loaded with corn, ten 
machlas, and a pelisse of honour. Sheik Ibra- 
him addressed me in private and said, " We are 
going into the desert; we have exhausted all 
our stock; what must we do?" " Give me 
your orders," I replied ; " I will go secretly to 
Aleppo, and get what we want, and I will en- 
gage not to make myself known to my family." 
It was agreed that I should rejoin the tribe at 
Zour ; and I went to Aleppo. I took up my 
station in a khan but little frequented, and re- 
mote from all my acquaintances. I sent a stran- 
ger to* the correspondent of M. Lascaris to get 
five hundred tallaris. The precaution was un- 
necessary, for with my long beard, my costume, 
and my Bedouin accent, I ran no risk of being 
known ; I proved this sufficiently on purchasing 
some goods at the Bazaar. I met many of my 

i 



98 

friends there, and amused myself with behaving 
rudely to them. But to these moments of care- 
less gaiety, painful ones succeeded ; I passed and 
repassed continually before the door of my 
house, hoping to get a glimpse of my brother or 
my poor mother. My desire of seeing her 
above all was so great that I was twenty times 
on the point of breaking my word ; but the 
conviction that she would not again allow me to 
return to M. Lascaris restored my courage, and 
after six days I was obliged to tear myself away 
from Aleppo, without obtaining any news of my 
relatives. 

I overtook the tribe on the banks of the Eu- 
phrates opposite Daival-Chahar, where there 
are still some fine ruins of an ancient city. I 
found the Bedouins engaged, before crossing the 
river, in selling cattle, or changing them for 
goods with the pedlers from Aleppo. They 
have no idea of the value of fictitious money ; 
they will not receive gold in payment, recog- 
nising nothing but silver tallaris. They would 
rather pay too much, or not receive enough in 
change, than admit of fractions. The merchants, 
aware of this foible, dexterously profit by it. 
Besides the exchanges, the tribes sold to the 
amount of twenty-five thousand tallaris; and 
every man put his money into his sack of flour, 
that it might not sound on loading and unload- 
ing. 

A tragical accident happened at the passage 
of the Euphrates. A woman and two children, 
mounted on a camel, were carried down by the 
current before it was possible to give them any 



99 

assistance. We found Mesopotamia covered 
with the tribes of Bagdad and Bassora. Their 
chiefs came daily to congratulate the Drayhy on 
his victory, and to make acquaintance with us, 
for the renown of Sheik Ibrahim had reached 
them. They felt indebted to him for having 
counselled the war against the Wahabees, whose 
rapacity and exactions were become intolerable. 
Their king, Ebn-Sihoud, was accustomed to 
send a mezakie to count the flocks of each indi- 
vidual, and to take the tenth, always choosing 
the best : he then had the tents taken down, 
from that of the sheik to that of the poorest 
wretch, to find his money, of w T hich they also 
exacted a tenth. He was still more odious to 
the Bedouins, because in his extreme fanaticism, 
he exacted ablutions and prayers five times a 
day, and punished with death those who refused 
to submit. When he forced a tribe to make 
war for him, instead of sharing the gains and the 
losses, he kept all the plunder, and only left his 
allies to bewail their dead. And thus, by de- 
grees, the Bedouins were becoming the slaves 
of the Wahabees, for want of a chief capable of 
making head against Ebn-Sihoud. 

We encamped at a spot called Nain-el-Raz, 
three days from the Euphrates. Here the Emir 
Fares el Harba, the chief of the tribe El Harba, 
of the territory of Bassora, came to make an of- 
fensive and defensive alliance with the Drayhy. 
When the chiefs have to discuss any important 
affair, they quit the camp and hold their con- 
ference at a distance ; this is called dahra, — 
secret assembly. Sheik Ibrahim having been 



100 

called to the dahra, showed some mistrust of 
Fares, fearing that he was a spy of the Wa- 
habees. The Drayhy said to him, " You judge 
of the Bedouins by the Osmanlis: know that 
the characters of the two people are directly 
opposed — treason is unknown among us." Af- 
ter this declaration, all the sheiks present at the 
council mutually pledged their word. Sheik 
Ibrahim took advantage of this disposition to 
propose to them to conclude a treaty in writing, 
to be signed and sealed by all those who would 
successively enter into the alliance against Ebn- 
Sihoud. This was a great step in the interest 
of Sheik Ibrahim, and I drew up the treaty in 
the following terms: — 

" In the name of the God of mercy, wj^ by 
his might will help us against traitors. We 
praise him for all his goodness, and return 
thanks to hirn for having given us to distinguish 
good from evil — to love liberty and to hate 
slavery ; we acknowledge that he is the only 
and Almighty God, alone to be adored. 

" We declare that we are confederated by 
our own free will without any constraint, that 
we are all sound in body and mind, and that we 
have unanimously resolved to follow the advice 
of Sheik Ibrahim and Abdallah el Katib, for the 
interest of our prosperity, of our glory, and of 
our liberty. The articles of our treaty are : — 

" 1st. To separate ourselves from the Osman- 
lis. 

u 2d. To wage a war of extirpation against 
the Wahabees. 

"3d. Never to speak upon the subject of 
religion. 



101 

" 4th. To obey the orders of our brother, the 
great Drayhy, Ebn Chahllan. 

"5th. To oblige each sheik to answer for his 
tribe and to keep this engagement secret. 

" 6th. To combine against those tribes who 
should not subscribe to it. 

" 7th. To march to the assistance of those 
who sign the present treaty, and to combine 
against their enemies. 

" 8th. To punish with death those who 
should break this alliance. 

" 9th. To listen to no calumnies against 
Sheik Ibrahim and Abdallah. 

" We the undersigned accept all the articles 
of this treaty ; we will maintain them in the 
name of God and of his prophets Mahomet and 
AH ; declaring by these presents that we are 
determined to live and die in this holy alliance. 
" Dated, signed, and sealed, the 12th of 
November, 1811." 

All who were present approved and signed it. 

Some time afterwards, being encamped in the 
large and fine plain of El Rane, the Drayhy sent 
couriers to the other tribes, to invite them to 
sign this treaty. Several chiefs set their seals 
to it, and those who had no seal fixed on it the 
impression of their finger. Among these chiefs 
I noticed a young man who from the age of fif- 
teen had governed the tribe of El Ollama, which 
bears a character very superior to those of the 
other Bedouins. They cultivate poetry, are 
well informed, and in general very eloquent. 
This young sheik thus related the origin of his 
tribe : — 

12 



102 

A Bedouin of Bagdad was held in high repu- 
tation for sagacity. A man one day came to 
him, saying : — " My wife disappeared four days 
ago ; I have sought her ever since in vain : I 
have three weeping children, and I am in de- 
spair; assist me with your advice. " Aliaony 
consoled the unfortunate man, recommended him 
to stay with his children, and promised him to 
seek his wife for him, and hring her back dead 
or alive. In collecting all sorts of intelligence 
upon the subject, he learnt that the woman was 
remarkably beautiful ; he himself had a libertine 
son, who had also been some days absent : a ray 
of light broke upon his mind — he mounted his 
dromedary and searched the desert. He per- 
ceived from afar an assemblage of eagles, hast- 
ened towards them, and found at the entrance of 
a grotto the dead body of a woman. Examining 
the spot, he discovered the track of a camel, 
and part of the trimming of a wallet : he brought 
away this dumb witness and retraced his steps. 
On returning to his tent, he found his son ar- 
rived : his torn wallet wanted the fatal trim- 
ming. Overwhelmed by his father's reproaches, 
the young man confessed his crime : Aliaony cut 
off his head, sent for the husband, and said to 
him : — " My son killed your wife — I have pun- 
ished him and revenged you; I have a daugh- 
ter, and give her to you in marriage." This 
trait of barbarous justice enhanced the reputa- 
tion of Aliaony : he was elected chief of his 
tribe, which from his name assumed that of El 
Ollama, signifying wise, — an appellation which 
the tribe has always justified. 



103 

As we approached Bagdad, our treaty daily 
received a number of additional signatures. 

After quitting El Rane, we encamped at Ain 
el Oussada, near the river El Cabour. During 
our sojourn there, a courier despatched by the 
Drayhy to the Sheik Giandal, chief of the tribe of 
Wualdi, having been very ill received, returned, 
bearing an offensive message to the Drayhy. His 
sons were desirous of taking immediate ven- 
geance. Sheik Ibrahim opposed them, repre- 
senting that it was always time enough to make 
war, and that it was right first to try persuasion, 
I proposed to the emir to go myself with expla- 
nations to Giandal. At first he refused the offer, 
saying: — " Why should you take the trouble of 
going to him? Let him come himself, or tiff 
sabre shall compel him." He yielded, however, 
at length to my arguments, and I set out escorted 
by two Bedouins. Giandal received me with 
anger, and learning who I was, said to me : — "If 
I had met you anywhere but under my tent, you 
should never have eaten bread again : be thank- 
ful to our customs, which forbid my killing you." 
— " Words do not kill," said I; "I am your 
friend, and have your good at heart. I am come 
to ask a private interview with you. If what I 
have to say to you does not satisfy you, I shall 
return by the way that I came." Seeing my 
sang-froid, he stood up, called his eldest son, 
conducted me beyond the tents, where we sat 
down upon the ground, and I thus opened the 
conference : — 

u Which do you prefer, slavery or liberty ?" 
¥ Liberty, undoubtedly !" 



104 

" Union or discord ?" — u Union !" 
" Greatness or abasement?" — " Greatness!" 
" Poverty or riches?" — " Riches !" 
" Good or evil ?"— " Good !" 
" All these advantages we are des'rous of se- 
curing to you : we wish to release you from sla- 
very to the Wahabees, and from the tyranny of 
the Osmanlis, by a general confederation which 
shall make us powerful and free. " Why do you 
refuse to join us?" He answered: " What you 
say is plausible, but we shall never be strong 
enough to resist Ebn Sihoud!" — " Ebn Sihoud 
is a man like yourself; he is moreover a tyrant, 
and God does not favour oppressors: it is not 
numbers, but intelligence which gives the supe- 
riority; power does not rest in the sabre which 
strikes, but in the will which directs it." The 
conference lasted some time longer; but in the 
end I convinced him, and persuaded him to ac- 
company me to the Drayhy, who was highly 
satisfied with the issue of my negotiation. 

We next encamped near the mountains of San- 
giar, which are inhabited by the worshippers of 
an evil spirit. The principal tribe of the coun- 
try, commanded by Hammond el Tammer, is 
fixed near the river Sagiour,and does not wander 
like the others. Hammond refused at first to 
enter into the alliance. I had a long correspon- 
dence with him on this subject, and having at 
length persuaded him to join us, great rejoicings 
took place on both sides. Hammond invited the 
Drayhy to visit him, and received him magnifi- 
cently. Five camels and thirty sheep were 
slaughtered for the entertainment, which was 



105 

served on the ground without the tents. Large 
dishes of tinned copper, resembling silver, were 
borne each by four men, containing a mountain 
of rice six feet high, surmounted by an entire 
sheep or the quarter of a camel. In other dishes 
not so large, was a roast sheep or a camel's ham; 
and a multitude of little dishes, filled with dates 
and other dried fruits, were distributed in the 
intervals. Their bread is excellent. They bring 
their corn from Diabekir, and their rice from 
Marhach and Mallatia. When we were seated, 
or rather squatted, round this feast, we could not 
distinguish the persons opposite to us. The Be- 
douins of this tribe dress much more richly than 
the others: the women are very pretty; they 
wear silk dresses, many bracelets and ear-rings of 
gold and silver, and a golden ring in the nose. 

After some days passed in festivities, we con- 
tinued our journey and approached a river, or 
rather an arm of the Euphrates, which connects 
it with the Tigris. Here we were joined by a 
courier, who in five days had travelled on a dro- 
medary a distance which takes thirty at the pace 
of a caravan. He came from the district of 
Neggde, sent by a friendly sheik to warn the 
Drayhy of the rage into which his projects and 
alliances had thrown Ebn Sihoud. He despaired 
of seeing him ever able to make head against the 
storm, and strongly recommended him to make 
peace with the Wahabees. I wrote, in the name 
of the Drayhy, that he felt no more concern about 
Ebn Sihoud than he should about a grain of mus- 
tard ; placing his confidence in God, the sole 
giver of victory. Then, by a diplomatic rme y 



106 

I gave him to understand that the armies of the 
Grand Signior would support the Drayhy, who 
was desirous, above all things, of opening the 
road to'the caravans and delivering Mecca from 
the power of the Wahabees. The next day we 
crossed the great arm of the river in boats, and 
encamped at the other side, in the vicinity of the 
tribe of El Cherarah, celebrated for its courage, 
and also for its ignorance and obstinacy. 

We had foreseen the extreme difficulty of 
gaining it over, not only on account of these 
faults, but because of the friendship which exist- 
ed between its chief Abedd, and Abdallah, the 
principal minister of King Ebn Sihoud. Ac- 
cordingly he refused to join the alliance; and in 
this state of things, the Drayhy, supposing all 
negotiation useless, declared that the sabre must 
decide between them. The following day Sahen 
was sent, with five hundred cavalry, to attack 
Abedd. He returned in three days, having taken 
one hundred and forty camels, and two mares of 
great value: eight men only were killed, but a 
great number wounded on both sides. I wit- 
nessed on this occasion a very extraordinary 
cure. A young man, a relation of Sahen, was 
brought back, having his skull broken by a stroke 
of the djerid, seven sabre wounds in the body, 
and a lance still fixed in his side. The extrac- 
tion of the lance was immediately set about, and 
it was brought out from the opposite side : during 
the operation the patient turned to me and said 
— " Do not distress yourself about me, Abdallah, 
I shall not die;" and extending his hand, he took 
my pipe and began smoking as tranquilly as if 



107 / 

the seven gaping wounds had been in another 
body. 

In about twenty days he was completely cured, 
and was on horseback as before. The only medi- 
cine they gave him was camel's milk mixed with 
fresh butter, and his only food was dates dressed 
in butter. Every third day his wounds were 
washed in camel's urine. I doubt if a European 
surgeon, with all his apparatus, would have 
made so complete a cure in so short a time. 

The war became daily more serious: Abedd 
collected his allies to surround us, which obliged 
us to encamp upon the sands of Caffera, where 
there is no water. The women were obliged to 
fetch it daily from the river, in leathern budgets 
carried by camels. The great quantity necessary 
for watering the cattle rendered this a very 
heavy labour. On the third day the terrified 
drivers came to announce that eight hundred 
camels had been carried off by Abedd's follow- 
ers, while. they were leading them to the river. 
The Drayhy, to revenge this outrage, gave 
orders to strike the tents and to make a rapid 
advance on the tribe of Cherarah, which he re- 
solved to attack with his whole force. We 
marched a day and night without halting, and 
pitched ten thousand tents at about half a league 
from the camp of Abedd. A general and mur- 
derous battle seemed inevitable; but I deter- 
mined to hazard a last effort to prevent it if 
possible. 

The Bedouins hold women in great respect, 
and consult them on all their plans. In the tribe 
of El Cherarah their influence is even more ex- 



108 

tensive than elsewhere; there the women hold 
the actual command. They have generally much 
more sense than their husbands; and Arquia, 
wife of the Sheik Abedd, in particular passes 
for a very superior woman. I determined to go 
to her, to take her some presents of ear-rings, 
bracelets, necklaces, and other trifles, and to 
endeavour thereby to bribe her to our interests. 
Having secretly made all the necessary inquiries 
to direct my proceedings, I introduced myself 
to her in the absence of her husband, who was 
holding a council of war with one of his allies. 
By dint of compliments and presents, I led her 
to enter herself on the subject of the war, — the 
real purpose of my visit, though I did not choose 
to confess it. I took the opportunity of explain- 
ing to her the advantages of an alliance with the 
Drayhy, solely as a subject of conversation, and 
by no means as authorised to consult with her 
upon it: I told her that my visit was solely in- 
duced by a natural curiosity to see so celebrated 
a woman, who governed warriors redoubtable for 
their courage, but in need of her superior under- 
standing rightly to direct their brutal force. 
During this conversation her husband returned 
to the camp, was informed of my arrival, and 
sent orders to Arquia ignominiously to dismiss 
the spy she had with her; that as the rites of 
hospitality would withhold his arm from taking 
vengeance upon the threshold of his own tent, 
he should not enter it till the traitor was gone. 
Arquia haughtily replied, that I was her guest, 
and that she should not suffer the law to be laid 
down to her. I got up to take leave of her, ask- 



109 

ing pardon for the embarrassment I had caused; 
but she seemed to make a point of convincing 
me that I had not gratuitously attributed to her 
an influence which she did not possess, for she 
detained me by force while she went to confer 
with her husband. She soon returned, accom- 
panied by Abedd, who treated me very politely, 
and requested me to explain the intentions of 
the Drayhy. I gained his entire confidence, by 
the assistance of his wife, and, before the end of 
the day, he himself solicited permission to ac- 
company me to the Drayhy; which I opposed, 
telling him that I should not dare to present him 
to the emir without notice, because he was so 
highly irritated against him ; but that I would 
plead his cause and send him an immediate an- 
swer. I left them at least as desirous of joining 
the confederacy as I had been to persuade them 
to do so. 

By the invitation of the Drayhy, Abedd went 
a few days afterwards to set his seal to the treaty, 
and to exchange the camels which had been re- 
ciprocally taken during the war. This difficult 
affair thus terminated in so satisfactory a manner, 
we left the sands to pass eight days in the dis- 
trict of Atteria, at three hours' distance from the 
Tigris, near the ruins of the castle El Attera, 
where the pasturage is abundant. Having here 
refreshed the cattle, we continued our route 
eastwards. 

We one day met a Bedouin, mounted on a fine 
black dromedary: the sheiks saluted him w 7 ith an 
air of concern, and inquired what had been the 
issue of his unfortunate adventure of the pre- 

K 



110 

ceding year. I asked his history? and found the 
recital sufficiently interesting to give it a place 
in my journal. Aloian (this was the name of the 
Bedouin,) while hunting the gazelle, arrived at 
a spot were broken lances, bloody sabres, and 
unburied corpses indicated a recent battle. A 
plaintive sound, which scarcely reached his ear, 
attracted him to a pile of dead bodies, in the 
midst of which a young Arab still breathed. 
Aloian hastened to his assistance, placed him 
upon his dromedary, led him to his tent, and by 
his paternal cares restored him to life. After 
four months' convalescence, Faress (the wounded 
man) began to talk of his departure; but Aloian 
said to him: — "If we must absolutely separate, 
I will conduct you to your tribe, and there take 
leave of you with regret; but if you will remain 
with me, you shall be my brother, my mother 
shall be your mother, and my wife your sister : 
consider my proposal, and give it a deliberate 
answer."— "Oh! my benefactor," replied Fa- 
ress, "where shall I find such relations as you 
offer me? But for you, I should not now be 
living ; my flesh would have been devoured by 
birds of prey, and my bones by the beasts of the 
desert: since you are willing to keep me, I will 
live with you and serve you to the end of my 
life." A motive less pure than he dared to avow 
had prompted Faress ? s decision : love for Hafza, 
the wife of Aloian, who had been his nurse, was 
beginning to agitate his bosom, and was returned. 
Aloian, who entertained no suspicion, one day 
charged Faress to escort his mother, his wife, 
and two children to a new encampment, while 



Ill 

he went hunting. Faress could not resist this 
fatal opportunity: he laded a camel with the 
tent, placed the mother and two children upon 
it, and sent them forward, saying that he would 
follow with Hafza on horseback. But the old 
woman looked back in vain : Hafza did not ap- 
pear; Faress had carried her away upon an ex- 
tremely swift mare to his tribe. In the evening 
Aloian arrived, fatigued with the chase, and 
searched in vain for his tent among those of his 
tribe. The old mother had been unable to pitch 
it without assistance, and he found her seated 
upon the earth with the two children. "Where 
is Hafza ?" said he. — "I have neither seen Hafza 
nor Faress," replied she: "I have been expect- 
ing them since the morning." Then, for the 
first time, he suspected the truth; and having 
assisted his mother to fix the tent, he mounted 
his black dromedary and rode two days till he 
came up to the tribe of Faress. At the entrance 
of the camp he stopped to speak to an old woman 
who was alone. "Why do you not go to the 
sheik?" said she; "there is a feast in the tribe 
to-day: Faress Ebn Mehidi, who had been 
wounded on a field of battle and wept for dead, 
is returned, bringing with him a beautiful wo- 
man ; this evening their wedding is to be cele- 
brated." Aloian dissembled, and waited for the 
night : then, while all the camp slept, he intro- 
duced himself into the tent of Faress, separated 
his head from his body by a stroke of his sabre, 
and having carried the corpse out of the encamp- 
ment, returned upon his steps, found his wife 
asleep, and woke her, saying,— "It is Aloian 



112 

who calls thee; follow me." She rose in terror 
and said, — "Save thyself, imprudent man! Fa- 
ress and his brothers will kill thee." — "Trait- 
ress!" replied he, "what have I done to be thus 
treated? Have I ever contradicted or reproach- 
ed thee? Hast thou forgotten all the cares I 
have lavished upon thee? Hast thou forgotten 
thy children? Come, rise, call upon God and 
follow me: accursed be the devil who has tempt- 
ed you to commit this folly!" But Hafza, far 
from being moved by this mildness of Aloian, 
exclaimed, "Go hence! or I shall give the alarm 
and call Faress to kill thee." Seeing that there 
was nothing to be gained by remonstrance, he 
seized her, stopped her mouth, and in spite of 
her resistance placed her on a dromedary, which 
never paused till they were out of hearing of 
the camp. Then placing her en croupe behind 
him, he more leisurely continued his route. At 
day- break the corpse of Faress and the disap- 
pearance of his wife set the whole camp in a tu- 
mult, jftis father and brothers followed and 
overtook Aloian, who defended himself with 
heroic courage. Hafza, breaking off her bonds, 
joined the assailants and threw stones at him, 
one of which struck him on the head and made 
him stagger. Aloian, however, though covered 
with wounds, conquered his adversaries: he 
killed the two brothers, and disarmed the father, 
saying it would be disgraceful to him to kill an 
old man ; he restored him his mare, and advised 
him to return home ; then, seizing his wife anew, 
he pursued his route and reached his tribe with- 
out having exchanged a word with her. He 



113 

immediately assembled all her relations, and 
placing Hafza in the midst of them, said to her, 
— "Relate, thyself, all that has passed: I refer 
my cause to the judgment of thy father and bro- 
ther." Hafza told the tale truly, and her father, 
full of indignation, raised his sabre and laid her 
at his feet. 

Having proceeded stage by stage to within 
four hours of Bagdad, M. Lascaris secretly re- 
paired thither to see the French consul, M. 
Adrien de Corrence, and negotiate with him for 
a large sum of money. 

The next day, after crossing the Tigris at Ma- 
chad, we established ourselves near the river El 
Cahaun, and learned there that a sanguinary war 
was raging between the Bedouins, who took part 
for or against our alliance. Sheik Ibrahim per- 
suaded the Drayhy not to lose time, but to form 
a junction with our allies as expeditiously as pos- 
sible. We consequently advanced, and encamp- 
ed near many little springs, at twenty hours' dis- 
tance from Bagdad ; and the next day crossed a 
great chain of mountains : we then took the ne- 
cessary precaution of filling our water budgets, 
having a march of twelve hours to make over 
burning sands, where neither water nor herbage 
is to be found. On reaching the frontiers of 
Persia we met a messenger of the tribe of El 
Achgaha, bearing a letter from the chief Dehass, 
who demanded the assistance of the Father of 
Heroes — the chief of the most redoubtable war- 
riors — the povjerful Drayhy, against enemies 
who number fifteen thousand tents. We were 
then at six days' journey from this tribe ; but the 
k2 



114 

Drayhy having given orders to quicken the 
march, we accomplished this distance in three 
times twenty-four hours, without halting even to 
eat. The greatest fatigue of this forced march 
fell upon the women, who were obliged to make 
the bread and milk the camels, without delaying 
the caravan. 

The organization of this ambulatory kitchen 
was very curious. At certain regulated distances 
women were placed, who were employed without 
relaxation. The first, mounted on a camel laden 
with wheat, had a handmill before her. The corn 
once ground, she passed the meal to her neigh- 
bour, whose business it was to knead it with wa- 
ter, carried in budgets suspended on the sides of 
her camel. The dough was then handed to a 
third woman, who baked it in the form of cakes 
on a chafing-dish, with charcoal and straw. 
These cakes she distributed to the division of 
warriors, whose food she was charged to provide, 
and who came every minute to demand their 
portion. 

Other women walked beside the camels to milk 
them into cahahs, — wooden pails, containing four 
litres: these were passed from hand to hand to 
slake the thirst of the troops. The camels ate as 
they marched, from bags hung round their 
necks; and when their riders wished to sleep, 
they lay at their length on the camels, their feet 
secured in the sacks to protect them from falling. 
The slow and measured step of the camels in- 
vites to sleep, and I have never slept better than 
on this march. The wife of the Emir Faress was 
delivered in her howdah of a son, who received 



115 

the name of Harma, from the place we were 
passing when he came into the world : it is at the 
confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates. We 
were soon after joined by three tribes : El Harba, 
El Suallema, and El Abdalla. We reckoned 
seven thousand tents when Dehass joined us. 
This imposing succour reassured him; we gave 
him a magnificent supper, after which he affixed 
his seal to our treaty. 

The enemy was still at the distance of a day's 
journey. Our men and horses being in great need 
of repose, the Drayhy commanded a two days' 
rest; but the assailants did not allow us the de- 
sired truce. As soon as the report of our ap- 
proach reached them, they began their march, 
and the next day thirty thousand men were en- 
camped an hour from us. The Drayhy immedi- 
ately advanced his army to the banks of the river, 
fearing that our supply of water might be inter- 
cepted ; and we took up a position near the vil- 
lage of El Hutta. 

The next day, the Drayhy sent a letter to the 
chiefs of the five tribes who were come to attack 
us: Douockhry, chief of El Fedhay; SakerEbn 
Hamed, chief of El Modianu ; Mohdi Ebn Hud, 
of El Sabha; Bargiass, of Mouayega ; and Amer 
Ebn Noggies, chief of Mehayeda. This attempt 
was wholly unsuccessful : the answer was a decla- 
ration of war, the style of which clearly proved 
that our intentions had been misrepresented, and 
that the chiefs acted under foreign influence. 

Sheik Ibrahim proposed to send me to them 
with presents, to endeavour to come to an expla- 
nation. My embassies had hitherto succeeded 



116 

so well > that I accepted this with pleasure, and 
set out with a single guide: but scarcely had we 
reached the tent of Mohdi, who lay nearest to 
us, when their advanced guard came upon us like 
wild beasts, robbed us of our presents and our 
clothes, put irons on our feet, and left us naked 
on the burning sands. In vain I entreated per- 
mission to explain ; I was threatened with instant 
death if I persisted in remonstrating. Some mo- 
ments afterwards, I saw the perfidious Absi ad- 
vancing to me: I then understood the cause of 
the inconceivable treatment of which I had been 
the victim ; he had been travelling from tribe to 
tribe to raise enemies against us. I was so en- 
raged at the sight of him, that my fallen courage 
revived, and I determined to die bravely if I 
could not live to take vengeance. He approach- 
ed, and, spitting in my face, cried, " Dog of an 
infidel ! in what manner do you choose that I 
should separate your soul from your body ?" — 
66 My soul," I replied, "is not in your power; 
my days are numbered by the great God : if they 
are to end now, it signifies little in what manner; 
but if I am still to live, you have no power to kill 
me." He then withdrew to excite the Bedouins 
against me afresh, and men, women, and chil- 
dren came to overwhelm me with outrages: some 
spit in my face, others threw sand in my eyes ; 
several pricked me with their djerids. I was 
kept twenty-four hours without eating or drink- 
ing, and suffering a martyrdom it is impossible to 
describe. Towards the evening of the second 
day, a young man, named Jabour, came to me, 
and drove away the children who were torment- 



117 

ing me. I had already remarked him ; for, of all 
those I had seen during this day, he alone had 
not insulted me. He offered to bring me bread 
and water at nightfall. " Hunger and thirst," 
I replied, thanking him, " are of little conse- 
quence; but if you could assist me to escape 
hence, I would reward you generously/' He 
promised to attempt it, and in the middle of the 
night brought me the key of my fetters, which 
he had had the address to procure while the chiefs 
were at supper. He opened them without noise; 
and without taking time to throw on my clothes, 
we ran back to my tribe. All were asleep in the 
camp, except the four negroes who kept guard 
at the entrance of Drayhy ? s tent: they uttered a 
cry on seeing me, and in great haste woke their 
master, who came with Sheik Ibrahim: they em- 
braced me with tears, and handsomely rewarded 
my liberator. The Drayhy expressed the most 
lively grief at the treatment I had ^experienced, 
and the greatest indignation at this violation of 
the rights of nations. He immediately gave or- 
ders for battle, and at sunrise we perceived that 
the enemy had done the same. On the first day, 
there was no marked advantage on either side. 
Auad, chief of the tribe Suallema, lost his mare, 
for which he had refused twenty-five thousand 
piastres. All the Bedouins participated in his 
affliction, and the Drayhy gave him one of his 
best horses, very inferior however to the superb 
animal he had lost. The next day the battle was 
renewed with increased fury, and our loss was 
more considerable than that of the enemy. We 
were obliged to act with extreme caution, having 



118 

only fifteen thousand troops to oppose to him. 
Forty of our men fell into their hands, while we 
made only fifteen prisoners; but amongst these 
was Hamed, son of the chief Saker. The cap- 
tives on both sides were put in irons. 

To these two days of fighting succeeded a 
tacit truce of three, during which the two ar- 
mies continued to face each other without any 
demonstration of hostility. On the third day, 
the chief Saker, with a single attendant, came 
to our camp. He was uneasy for his son, a 
valiant young man, adored by his father and by 
all the Bedouins of his tribe ; and he came to 
ransom him. Hamed had been very well treated 
by us; I had myself bound up his wounds. The 
Drayhy received Saker with great distinction. 
The latter, after the customary civilities, spoke 
of the war — expressed his astonishment at the 
Drayhy's ardour against the Wahabees, and said 
that he could not credit so much disinterested- 
ness, under which some secret motives or per- 
sonal views must needs be couched. "You 
cannot take it ill/' added he, " that I do not 
engage with you without knowing your object. 
Take me into your confidence, and I will second 
you to the utmost of my power." We replied, 
that we were not in the habit of admitting to 
our secrets those of whose friendship we had no 
assurance ; but that if he chose to sign our 
treaty, we should have no concealments from 
him. He then asked to be made acquainted 
with this engagement, and after having listened 
to a lecture of the different articles, with which 
he seemed to be very well content, he assured 



119 

us that things had been very differently repre- 
sented to him, and repeated the calumnies that 
Absi had spread concerning us. He ended by 
affixing his seal to the treaty, and afterwards 
pressed us to explain the object we were aiming 
at. Sheik Ibrahim told him that our intention 
was to open a passage from the coasts of Syria 
to the frontiers of India, to an army of a hun- 
dred thousand men, under a powerful con- 
queror, who would relieve the Bedouins from 
the yoke of the Turks, restore to them the sov- 
ereignty of the country, and enable them to ob- 
tain possession of the treasures of India. He 
affirmed that there was nothing to be lost, but 
every thing to gain, in the execution of this 
project, the success of which depended upon 
the union of forces and the harmony of inclina- 
tions. He promised that their camels should be 
paid at a high price for the transport of the 
provisions for this great army, and made him 
look to the commerce of these vast countries as 
likely to become a source of inexhaustible 
riches to them. 

Saker entered fully into our views ; but it 
was still necessary to explain to him that the 
Wahabee* might counteract our plans ; that his 
religious fanaticism would naturally be opposed 
to the passage of a Christian army ; that his 
spirit of domination, which had already made 
him master of Yemen, Mecca and Medina, would 
extend his pretentions to Syria, where the 



* Ebn Sihoud, King of the Wahabees, is often called by this 
name. 



120 

Turks could not offer him any serious resistance: 
that, on the other hand, a great maritime power, 
enemy to the one we favoured, would infallibly 
make an alliance with him, and would send 
forces by sea to cut us off from the road of the 
desert. After much debate, in which Saker 
showed both judgment and sagacity, he entirely 
acquiesced in our arguments, and promised to 
use all his influence with the other tribes. It 
was agreed that he should be chief of the Be- 
douins of the country we were then in, as the 
Drayhy was of those of Syria and Mesopota- 
mia : he engaged between this time and the 
same period in the next year to unite the diffe- 
rent tribes under his orders, while we should 
pursue our route ; and promised that at our 
return all should be made easy to us. We sepa- 
rated, enchanted with each other, after loading 
his son with presents, and liberating all the 
other prisoners. Saker, on his part, sent back 
our forty men ; and the next day wrote us word 
that Mohdi and Douackhry no longer opposed 
our projects, and that they were about to re- 
move to hold a conference with Bargiass, at 
three hours' distance. In fact, they broke up 
their camp, and we did the same ; for the as- 
semblage of so large a number of men and cat- 
tle had covered the earth with filth, and ren- 
dered our continuance in the place quite intol- 
erable. 

We encamped at six hours' distance, at May- 
tal el Ebbed, where we rested eight days. Saker 
came there to us, and it was agreed that he 
alone should undertake to raise the Bedouins of 



121 

these districts, while we should return into 
Syria, lest by too long abandoning our first con- 
quest, our enemies should take advantage of our 
absence to embroil our affairs and detach the 
tribes from our alliance. 

Besides, the spring was already advanced, 
and it behooved us to hasten thither, lest the 
pasturages of Syria and Mesopotamia should be 
occupied by others. We deferred then, till the 
year following, the project of pushing our re- 
cognizance as far as the frontiers of India. By 
that period, Saker would have had time to pre- 
pare the tribes of his neighbourhood to second 
us ; " for," said he, " the tree is uprooted by 
one of its branches." 

Some days' march brought us back to Meso- 
potamia. In two more we crossed the Eu- 
phrates near Mansour and the desert called 
El Hamad. We encamped in a place where 
water is only to be had by digging deep holes, 
and is at last only fit for the beasts. Man can- 
not drink of it. The place is called Halib El 
Dow, because milk is here the only beverage. 

We went from thence to El Sarha, a district 
abundantly supplied with water and herbage, 
and here expected to be indemnified for our 
privations; but a particular circumstance speedi- 
ly dashed our hopes. The soil is covered with 
an herb called Kraffour, which the camels eat 
with avidity, and which has the property of 
inebriating them to the point of madness. They 
run to the right and left, breaking every thing 
they encounter, overthrowing the tents, and 
pursuing the men. 

L 



122 

During four- and- twenty hours no one could 
get any rest; the Bedouins were constantly em- 
ployed in mastering the camels and in calming 
their fury. I should have preferred actual war 
to this continual struggle with animals whose 
prodigious strength, and delirious exaltation 
presented incalculable dangers. But it appears 
that the triumphs of skill over force has great 
charms for these children of nature ; for, when 
I went to the Drayhy to deplore the state of 
fever in which this novel revolution held us, he 
only laughed, and assured me it was one of the 
greatest amusements of the Bedouins. While 
we were talking, a camel of the largest size 
made straight towards us, with his head erect, 
and kicking up the dust with his great feet. 
The Drayhy, seizing one of the stakes of his 
tent, waited for the furious animal, and struck 
him a violent blow on the head. The weapon 
broke, and the camel turned away to exercise 
his ravages elsewhere. A dispute then arose 
as to which was the strongest, the camel or 
the sheik. The latter averred, that if his club 
had resisted, he should have cleft the skull 
of his adversary ; the attendants maintained 
the superiority of the animal, who had broken 
the obstacle opposed to him ; and my decision, 
that their strength was equal, because it was a 
drawn battle, excited the mirth of the whole 
audience. 

The next day we broke up our camp, and 
were overtaken on the road by a messenger 
from Saker, who sent us an account of the ill- 
success of his negotiation with Bargiass. Our 



123 

enemy Absi, who was high in favour with the 
latter chief, had exasperated him against us; 
had persuaded him to join Mehanha, and then 
to form an alliance with the Wahabees, who 
were to send an army for our destruction. The 
Drayhy answered, that this was no cause for 
uneasiness— that God was stronger than they 
were, and could with ease give the victory to 
the good cause. After this incident we contin- 
ued our journey. 

We next learned that the tribe El Calfa was 
encamped at Zualma. The Drayhy considered 
it important to secure the co-operation of this 
powerful and courageous tribe. Its sheik, Gias- 
sem, was an old friend of the Drayhy ; but he 
could neither read nor write, and it therefore 
became dangerous to address a letter to him, 
which would be read by a Turk, and might be 
essentially injurious to our affairs, as experience 
had taught us in the instance of the scribe Absi. 
Again, then, the negotiation was committed to 
me ; and I was sent to him, with an escort of 
six men mounted on dromedaries. We arrived, 
after a journey of three days, at the spot indi- 
cated, and were greatly disconcerted to find 
that the tribe had removed their camp, leaving 
no trace of the road they had taken. We 
passed the night without eating or drinking, 
and deliberated the following day on what 
we were to do. The affair of most imme- 
diate necessity was to find water; for it is 
well known that thirst is more insupportable 
than hunger, and we might also reasonably 
expect at the same time to meet both with 
the springs and the tribe. We wandered 



124 

three entire days without finding either water 
or food. My palate was so perfectly dry, that 
I could neither move my tongue nor articulate a 
sound ; I had exhausted all the artificial means 
of mitigating thirst, as keeping pebbles and 
balls of lead in my mouth ; my face was become 
black, and my strength was forsaking me, when 
suddenly my companions cried out, " Gioub el 
Ghamin !' ? (the name of a well in the desert,) 
and darted forward. These men, inured to fa- 
tigue, sustained privations in a manner incon- 
ceivable to me, and were far from imagining to 
what a deplorable condition I was reduced. On 
seeing them run from me, the irritation of my 
nerves, excited by fatigue, made me despair of 
reaching the well, where I fancied they would 
not leave a single drop of water for me ; and I 
threw myself on the ground weeping. Seeing 
me thus overcome, they returned, and encour- 
aged me to make an effort to follow them. We 
arrived at length at the well, and one of them 
leaning over the parapet, drew his sabre, de- 
claring he would cut off the head of the first 
man who dared approach. " Be governed by 
my experience," said he, " or you will all 
perish." The authoritative tone he assumed 
had its effect upon us, and we all obeyed in si- 
lence. He called us one by one, beginning with 
me, and made us first lean over the margin of 
the well to inhale some of its moisture. Then 
drawing a small quantity of water, he wetted 
our lips with his fingers ; by degrees he allowed 
us to drink a few drops, then a small cup full ; 
and having pursued this rational treatment for 



125 

three hours, he said, " You may now drink with- 
out risk ; but if you had not listened to me, 
you would have been all dead men ; for drinking 
without precaution, after long privation, is cer- 
tain destruction." We passed the night on this 
spot, drinking continually, as much for nourish- 
ment as to slake our thirst, which, notwith- 
standing this indulgence, seemed insatiable. In 
the morning we climbed an eminence that we 
might see farther round us ; alas ! nothing but 
the boundless desert met our view. At length, 
however, one of the Bedouins thought he des- 
cried an object in the distance, and soon asserted 
that it was an howdah covered with scarlet 
cloth, and borne by a camel of great size. His 
companions saw nothing, but having no better 
guide to follow, we turned our steps in the di- 
rection indicated ; and, in fact, soon afterwards 
we found ourselves approaching a great tribe, 
and distinctly saw the howdah which had served 
us for a pharos : happily it proved to be the tribe 
we were in quest of. 

Giassem received us kindly, and did his best 
to remedy our fatigue. I satisfactorily accom- 
plished the object of my mission to him, and he 
dictated a letter to the Drayhy, in which he un- 
dertook to place his men and goods under his 
orders, saying that the alliance between them 
ought to be of the closest kind, on account of 
their long-standing friendship. I set out on my 
return, provided with this important document, 
but, on the other hand, much interested in the 
news he had imparted to me of the arrival of a 
princess, daughter of the King of England, in 
l2 



126 

Syria, where she was displaying the luxuries of 
royalty, and had been received with all sorts of 
honours by the Turks. She had made magnifi- 
cent presents to Mehanna el Fadel, and had 
been escorted by him to Palmyra, where she 
had profusely distributed her largesses, and had 
made a formidable party among the Bedouins, 
who had proclaimed her queen.* Sheik Ibra- 
him, to whom I carried this intelligence, was 
greatly disturbed by it, believing it to be an in- 
trigue to ruin our plans. 

The Drayhy, perceiving our misgivings, re- 
assured us by declaring that if they sowed sacks 
of gold from Hama to the gates of India, they 
would be unable to detach a single tribe from the 
solemn engagement which had been contracted. 

"The word of a Bedouin is sacred/' he add- 
ed; " follow up your projects without uneasi- 
ness. For my part, my campaign is planned. I 
am going to the Horan to w T atch the proceedings 
of Ebn Sihoud, whom alone we have cause to 
fear. I shall then return, and encamp in the 
environs of Horns." 

Sheik Ibrahim, having no longer either money 
or merchandise, determined to send me immedi- 
ately to Corietain, whence I should despatch a 
messenger to Aleppo to procure a supply of 
cash. I went joyfully, as the expedition gave 
me a prospect of visiting my friends and reposing 
some time amongst them. My first day's jour- 
ney was performed without accident ; but on the 



*This imaginary princess was no other than lady Hester 
Stanhope. 



127 

following day, about four o'clock, at a spot named 
Cankoum, I fell into the midst of what I believed 
to be a friendly tribe, but which proved to be 
*that of Bargiass. It was now too late to recede ; 
I therefore made for the tent of the sheik, pre- 
ceded by my negro Fodda : but scarcely had I 
set foot on the ground, when he was massacred 
before my eyes, and I saw the same weapons 
which had despatched him raised upon me. The 
shock was so great, that I have no recollection of 
what followed, except that I cried out, " Stop ! 
I claim the protection of the daughter of Hedal !" 
and fainted. When I reopened my eyes, I found 
myself lying on a couch in a tent, surrounded by 
a score of females, who were endeavouring to 
recall me to life: some were holding burnt hair, 
vinegar, and onions to my nostrils ; while others 
bathed me in water, and introduced melted but- 
ter between my dry and contracted lips. As 
soon as I had perfectly recovered my conscious- 
ness, the wife of Bargiass took me by the hand, 
saying: 

" Fear nothing, Abdallah : you are in the tent 
of the daughter of Hedal, and no one has a right 
to injure you." 

Bargiass presenting himself shortly afterwards 
at the entrance of the tent, to make his peace, as 
he said, with me, — "By the head of my father," 
cried she, " you shall not cross my threshold till 
Abdallah is entirely cured !" 

I remained three days under Bargiass's tent, 
tended in the most affectionate manner by his 
wife, who was negotiating meanwhile a reconci- 
liation between her husband and me ; but I felt 



128 

so rancorous a resentment at his brutality that I 
found it difficult to pardon him : at length, how- 
ever, I consented to bury the past in oblivion, on 
condition of his signing the treaty with the 
Drayhy. We then embraced and entered into 
an oath of fraternity. Bargiass presented me 
with a negro, saying, " I have sacrificed your 
silver, but in return I give you a jewel % " a play 
of words upon the names of the two negroes, 
Fodda, silver, and Gianhar, jewel. He after- 
wards gave an entertainment in honour of our re- 
conciliation. In the midst of the feast a courier 
arrived at full speed from the Drayhy, bringing 
to Bargiass a declaration of exterminating war, 
and full of the most opprobrious epithets. " Oh ! 
thou traitor," he wrote, " who violatest the sa- 
cred law of the Bedouins ! thou wretch for ever 
infamous, who massacrest thy guests ! thou Otto- 
man under a black skin ! know that all the blood 
of thy tribe would not suffice to compensate for 
that of my dear Abdallah ! Prepare thyself for 
battle, for my courser will rest no more till I have 
destroyed the last of thy race !" I hastened my 
departure, to prevent any collision, and to com- 
fort Sheik Ibrahim and the Drayhy. I cannot 
describe the joy and astonishment which my pre- 
sence caused ; and so miraculous did my return 
appear, that they could scarcely credit the evi- 
dence of their eyes, till I had related all my 
adventures. 

The next morning I again took the road to 
Corietain, where I waited for twenty days the re- 
turn of the messenger I had sent to Aleppo,— a 
respite which I found very seasonable both for 



129 

repose and for the repair of my tattered ward- 
robe 5 but necessity protracted my stay beyond 
my inclination, for news was spread that the Wa- 
habees had invaded the desert of Damascus and 
ravaged several villages, massacreing men and 
children without exception, and pillaging the 
women, whom alone they spared. The Sheik of 
Corietain, too weak to offer the smallest resist- 
ance, caused the gates of the town to be closed, 
forbade any egress from it, and tremblingly await- 
ed the issue. We soon learned that the enemy 
having attacked Palmyra, the inhabitants had re- 
tired within the precincts of the temple, and 
there successfully defended themselves; and that 
the Wahabees, unable to force their position, had 
contented themselves with killing the camel dri- 
vers and carrying off their camels. From thence 
they proceeded to ransack the village of A rack, 
and had dispersed themselves throughout the 
environs. This sinister intelligence alarmed me 
for the fate of my messenger, who however ar- 
rived safe and sound with Sheik Ibrahim's mo- 
ney. He had taken refuge for a short time at 
Saddad, the inhabitants of which having paid a 
pretty heavy contribution, had for the moment 
nothing more to fear. Profiting by this circum- 
stance, I laid aside my Bedouin habiliments, 
and dressing myself as a Christian of Saddad, 
made my way to that village, where I obtained 
news of the Drayhy, who was encamped with the 
tribe of Bargiass at Ghandah el Cham. I rejoin- 
ed him the first possible opportunity, and learned 
with chagrin that a formidable coalition had been 
effected between Mehanna el Fadel and the tribe 



130 

established at Samarcand ; and that by their in- 
trigues with the governors of Hems and Hama, 
some Turks and Bedouins had been drawn into 
the alliance against us. In this critical conjunc- 
ture I bethought myself of our friend the Pacha 
Soliman, and persuaded Sheik Ibrahim to visit 
Damascus for the purpose of consulting with him. 
We set out at once, and alighted at the house of 
his prime minister, Hagim, from whom we learn- 
ed the name of the supposed English princess : he 
informed us that it was through the influence of 
Lady Stanhope's presents that Mehanna had 
acquired so powerful a party amongst the Turks. 
These details confirmed our suspicions that Eng- 
land, aware of our projects, was subsidizing the 
Wahabees on one hand, while on the other she 
endeavoured, through the intervention of Lady 
Stanhope, to unite the Bedouins of Syria with 
the Turks. An Englishman, whom we met at the 
house of M. Chabassan, assuming the name of 
Sheik Ibrahim, added strength to these conjec- 
tures : he endeavoured to extract something from 
us, but we were too much upon our guard. 
Having obtained what we wished from Soliman 
Pacha, we hastened to rejoin our tribe. 

The Drayhy's courage was not diminished; 
he assured us he could make head against a much 
stronger array. The firman granted us by Soli- 
man Pacha required the governors of Hems and 
Hama to hold in respect his faithful friend and 
well-beloved son, the Drayhy Ebn Challan, who 
ought to be obeyed, being supreme chief of the 
Desert of Damascus ; and that any alliance in op- 
position to him was contrary to the will of the 



131 

Porte. Furnished with this document, we ad- 
vanced towards Hama ; and some days afterwards 
Sheik Ibrahim received an invitation from Lady 
Hester Stanhope to pay her a visit in company 
with his wife, Madame Lascaris, who was still at 
Acre ; an invitation that annoyed him the more, 
as he had for three years avoided sending any 
intelligence to his wife, in order to conceal from 
the world the place of his residence and his in- 
timacy with the Bedouins. It was necessary, 
however, to send an answer to Lady Stanhope ; 
he therefore wrote that he would do himself the 
honour of visiting her as early as circumstances 
would permit, and despatched at the same time 
a courier to his wife, desiring her to decline the 
invitation. But it was too late; Madame Lasca- 
ris, anxious to ascertain the existence of her 
husband, had instantly obeyed Lady Stanhope's 
summons to Hama, in hopes of gaining some 
traces of him from that lady: M. Lascaris thus 
found himself under the necessity of rejoining 
her. 

Meanwhile Mehanna advanced nearer and 
nearer, fancying himself certain of co-operation 
from the Osmanlis; but the Drayhy, judging the 
time arrived for producing the pacha's firman, 
sent it to Hems and Hama by the hands of his 
son Saher, who was received with the greatest 
honours. After inspecting the order of which 
he was the bearer, the two governors placed 
their troops at his disposal, declaring Mehanna 
a traitor for calling in the Wahabees, the most 
inexorable enemies of the Turks. 

Lady Hester Stanhope sent an invitation to 



132 

Saber, and overwhelmed him with presents for 
himself, his wife, and mother; gave a saddle and 
boots to every horseman of his suite, and an- 
nounced her intention of shortly visiting his 
tribe. M. Lascaris' visit ended less agreeably: 
Lady Stanhope having vainly endeavoured, by 
questions ingeniously contrived, to draw from 
him some explanation of his connexion with the 
Bedouins, finally assumed a tone of authority 
which afforded M. Lascaris a pretext for a rup- 
ture. He sent his wife back to Acre, and quitted 
Lady Stanhope at open variance with her. 

Mehanna made his dispositions for commen- 
cing the struggle: but finding the Drayhy by no 
means intimidated by his approach, he judged it 
prudent to secure a reinforcement of Osmanlis, 
and sent his son Fares to Hems, to claim the 
governor's promised assistance; who, however, 
instead of investing him with the command of a 
body of troops, had him loaded with irons and 
thrown into prison; and the dismayed Mehanna, 
at this afflicting intelligence, beheld himself pre- 
cipitated in a moment from the supreme com- 
mand, to the sad and humiliating necessity, not 
only of submission to the Drayhy, but of even 
soliciting his protection against the Turks. The 
unfortunate old man, overwhelmed by so unex- 
pected a reverse, was obliged to implore the 
mediation of Assaf Sheik of Saddad, who pro- 
mised him to negotiate a peace; and actually 
accompanied him with a hundred horsemen 
within a short distance of our camp. There 
leaving Mehanna with his escort, he advanced 
alone to the tent of the Drayhy, who received 



133 

him very cordially, but refused at first to accept 
the submission of Mehanna, till we interposed in 
his behalf. Sheik Ibrahim represented the hos- 
pitality with which he had received us on our 
arrival in the desert, and Saher, twice kissing 
his father's hand, united his solicitations to ours. 
The Drayhy yielding at last, the principal men 
of the tribe marched forward to meet Mehanna, 
— an attention due to his years and rank. As 
soon as he alighted, the Drayhy assigned him the 
seat of honour in the corner of the tent, and 
ordered coffee to be brought. Mehanna here- 
upon rose: "I will drink none of thy coffee," 
said he, "till we shall be completely reconciled, 
and have buried the seven stones." At these 
words the Drayhy also rose ; they drew and mu- 
tually presented their sabres to be kissed; after 
which they embraced, and the example was fol- 
lowed by their attendants. Mehanna with his 
lance made an opening in the ground, in the 
centre of the tent, about a foot in depth; and 
choosing seven small stones, he said to the Dray- 
hy, "In the name of the God of peace, for your 
guarantee and mine, we thus for ever bury our 
discord." As the stones were cast into the hole, 
the two sheiks threw earth over them, and trod 
it down with their feet; the women signalizing 
the ceremony with deafening shouts of joy: at 
its termination the chiefs resumed their seats, 
and coffee was served.* From that moment it 
was no longer allowable to revert to the past, or 
to mention war. I was assured that a reconcilia- 

■* The ceremony is called the hasnat. 
M 



134 

tion, to be according to rule, ought always to be 
solemnized in this form. After a plentiful re- 
past, I read aloud the treaty, to which Mehanna 
and four other chiefs of tribes affixed their 
seals.* 

Their united forces amounted to seven thou- 
sand six hundred tents; and, what was far more 
important still, the Drayhy became by this alli- 
ance chief of all the Bedouins of Syria, where 
he had no longer a single enemy. Saher went 
to Hems to solicit the deliverance of Fares, whom 
he brought back, attired in a pelisse of honour, 
to take part in the general rejoicing; after which 
the tribes dispersed, and occupied with their 
several stations the whole country from the Ho- 
ran to Aleppo. 

We now only waited the end of the summer 
to return towards the east, in order to conclude 
the negotiations we had commenced the pre- 
ceding year with the tribes of Bagdad and Bus- 
sora; and this interval of calm and leisure w r as 
filled up with preparations for a marriage be- 
tween Giarah, son of Fares, chief of the tribe El 
Harba, and Sabha, daughter of Bargiass, the 
most beautiful maiden of the desert. I was pe- 
culiarly interested in the affair, having known 
the bride during my residence with her mother. 
Fares begged the Drayhy to accompany him to 
Bargiass to make his proposals; and the chiefs 
of the tribe, in the richest attire, were in at- 

* These chiefs were, Zarack Ebn Fahrer, chief of the tribe 
El Gioullan ; Giarah Ebn Meghiel, chief of the tribe El Giah- 
ma; Ghaleb Ebn Ramdoun, chief of the tribe El Ballahiss; and 
Fares Ebn Nedged, chief of the tribe El Maslekher. 



135 

tendance. We reached the tent of Bargiass 
without any one being sent to meet us; Bargiass 
did not even rise to receive us: such is the usual 
form on such occasions ; the smallest sign of for- 
wardness would be considered unbecoming. 

After a few moments' silence the Drayhy 
spoke; — -"Why," said he, "do you receive us 
so indifferently? If you are resolved to offer us 
no refreshment, we will return home." During 
this time Sabha, withdrawn within that part of 
the tent reserved for the women, observed her 
suitor through the opening of the curtain; for 
custom exacts that the lady should signify her 
satisfaction at the appearance of her lover, before 
any negotiation is entered upon ; and if, after the 
secret survey I have just mentioned, she gives 
her mother to understand that the intended 
bridegroom does not please her, the matter rests 
there. On this occasion, however? a young and 
handsome man, of a proud and noble presence, 
presented himself, and Sabha gave the requisite 
token of satisfaction to her mother, who then re- 
sponded to the Drayhy's inquiry, — "You are 
all welcome! Not only will we heartily afford 
you refreshment, but we will grant all that you 
can desire."— "We come," returned the Dray- 
hy? " to demand your daughter in marriage for 
the son of our friend: what do you require for 
her dowry?"— "A hundred nakas,"* replied 
Bargiass, "five horses of the race of Nedgde, 
five hundred sheep, three negroes, and three 
aegresses to attend upon Sabha; and for the 

* Female camels of the most beautiful species. 



136 

trousseau, a saddle embroidered with gold, a 
robe of damask silk, ten bracelets of amber and 
coral, and yellow boots." The Drayhy made 
some remonstrances on the exorbitance of the 
demand, saying, "Thou art minded to realize 
the Arab proverb: 'If thou wouldst not marry 
thy daughter, increase her price/ Be more 
reasonable if thou desirest the conclusion of this 
marriage." 

The dowry was finally settled at fifty nakas, 
two horses, two hundred sheep, one negro, and 
one negress. The trousseau remained as dic- 
tated by Bargiass; saddles and yellow boots for 
the mother and some other members of the fa- 
mily were even added above his demand. Hav- 
ing written these articles, I read them aloud. 
Then the assistants at the ceremony recited the 
prayer Faliha — the Pater Noster of the Mus- 
sulmans, which confers its sanction on the con- 
tract, — and camel's milk was handed round, as 
lemonade had been at a town in Syria. After 
this refreshment the young people mounted their 
horses and amused themselves with the djerid,* 
and other games. Giarah, desirous to ingratiate 
himself with his bride, was particularly distin- 
guished, and she remarked with pleasure his 
agility and grace. We separated at nightfall, 
and preparations for the nuptials now employed 
the thoughts of all. 

By the evening of the third day, the dowry, 
or rather the price of Sabha, was ready, and a 



* An equestrian exercise with sticks, called djerids, which 
are lanced like javelins. 



137 

numerous procession moved with it in the follow- 
ing order: — A horseman led the van, with a 
white flag pendent from the point of his lance, 
and crying, "I bear the spotless honour of Bar- 
giass." After him followed the camels, decorated 
with garlands of flowers and foliage, attended by 
their drivers; then the negro on horseback, rich- 
ly clothed, and surrounded by men on foot sing- 
ing popular airs. Bebind them marched a troop 
of warriors, armed with muskets, which they 
frequently discharged. A woman followed, 
sprinkling with incense a large vessel of fire 
which she carried. Then the milch ewes, under 
the guidance of their shepherds, who were sing- 
ing like Chibouk, the brother of Antar, two 
thousand years earlier; for the manners of the 
Bedouins never change. After these came the 
negress, mounted upon a horse and evironed by 
two hundred women on foot, constituting not the 
least noisy of the groups; for the joyous shouts 
and nuptial songs of the Arab women are shrill 
beyond expression. The procession was closed 
by the camel which bore the trousseau, and 
formed a splendid spectacle. The embroidered 
housings were spread out on all sides and covered 
the animal ; the yellow boots hung from his sides, 
and the jewels, arranged in festoons, completed 
his trappings. A child of one of the most dis- 
tinguished families, mounted on this camel, re- 
peated with a loud voice, "May we be ever 
victorious! May the fire of our enemies be ex- 
tingushed for ever!" Other children accompa- 
nied him, crying, "Amen!" For my part, I 
m 2 



138 

ran from one side to the other, to enjoy the 
whole spectacle to the utmost. 

This time %trgiass came out to meet us, at- 
tended by the horsemen and women of his tribe; 
the cries and chants then became truly deafening; 
and the horses galloping about on all sides, soon 
enveloped us in a whirlwind of dust. 

When the presents were all displayed and 
ranged in order around the tent of Bargiass, 
coffee was made in a monstrous caldron, and 
every one took some, while waiting for the 
feast. 

Ten camels, thirty sheep, and a prodigious 
quantity of rice formed the staple of the meal; 
after which a second caldron of coffee was 
emptied. The dowry accepted, the ceremony 
was concluded by a repetition of the prayer; and 
it was agreed that Giarah should come at the ex- 
piration of three days to fetch his bride. Before 
my departure, I visited the women in their apart- 
ments, to introduce Sheik Ibrahim to a more in- 
timate acquaintance with Bargiass's wife, and to 
reiterate my thanks for her care of me. She 
replied by expressing her readiness to increase 
my obligations by bestowing her niece on me in 
marriage; but Sheik Ibrahim deferred taking 
advantage of her favourable intentions towards 
me till the following year. 

On the eve of the day fixed for the wxdding, 
a rumour arose that a formidable army of Waha- 
bees had appeared in the desert: couriers flew T 
from tribe to tribe, exhorting them to unite three 
or four in a company, that the enemy might find 



139 

them prepared on all points to receive them; 
and the espousals had nearly been consummated 
by a mortal combat, instead of the sham fight 
which is customary on such occasions. 

The Drayhy and the other chiefs set out very 
early in the morning with a thousand horsemen 
and five hundred women to achieve the conquest 
of the beautiful Sabha. At a short distance from 
the camp, the procession halted: the women and 
old men alighted and awaited the issue of a com- 
bat between the young people who came to 
carry off the betrothed, and those of her tribe 
who opposed their design. These contests have 
sometimes fatal results; but the bridegroom is 
not permitted to take part in them, lest his life 
should be exposed to hazard from the machina- 
tions of his rivals. On this occasion the com- 
batants came off with about a score of wounds; 
and victory, as was reasonable, decided for our 
party, who carried off the bride in triumph and 
consigned her to the women of our tribe. Sabha's 
train was composed of a score of maidens with 
three well-laden camels; the first carrying her 
howdah covered with scarlet cloth, trimmed 
with fringes and tufts of various- colon red worst- 
ed, and adorned with ostrich-feathers: the inte- 
rior was decorated by festoons of shells and 
strings of coloured glass, forming a sort of frames 
to small mirrors, which, placed at intervals, re- 
flected the scene on all sides; and furnished with 
silken cushions for the reception of the bride. 
The tent formed the burden of the second camel, 
and the carpets and kitchen utensils that of the 
third. The queen of the festival being placed 



140 

in her howdah, surrounded by the wives of the 
chiefs mounted on their camels, and by other 
women on foot, the procession commenced its 
retrograde march. Horsemen prancing in the van 
announced its progress to the tribes we might 
meet, who were expected to greet us by throw- 
ing incense and killing sheep under the feet of 
the bride's camels. It is not possible to convey 
a very exact idea of this scene, nor of that which 
lasted during the whole day and night; nor to 
describe the dances, the songs, the bonfires, the 
banquets, the tumult, and the cries of all sorts, 
which her arrival occasioned. Eight tribes were 
entertained by the hospitality of Fares. Two 
thousand pounds of rice, twenty camels, and fifty 
sheep, furnished out the feast; and in the middle 
of the night the cry was still, "Let him who is 
hungry come and eat." So great was my re- 
putation among them, that Giarah begged a talis- 
man from me to insure the happiness of this 
union : I accordingly wrote his cipher and that 
of his spouse in European characters; placed the 
charm solemnly in his hands; and no one doubted 
the efficacy of it, when they observed the satis- 
faction of the new-married couple. 

Some days afterwards, hearing that the Wa- 
habees, ten thousand strong, were besieging Pal- 
myra, the Drayhy gave orders for marching 
against them. We encountered them at El Dauh, 
and exchanged some musket-shots till nightfall, 
but without coming to a pitched battle. I had 
here leisure to appreciate the advantage of the 
mardouffs, in these wars of the desert, in which 
it is always necessary to carry about the com- 



141 

missariat of the army, and often for a consider- 
able time. These camels, mounted each by two 
soldiers, are like moving fortresses, provisioned 
with everything necessary for the nourishment 
and defence of their riders. A budget of water, 
a sack of flour and another of dried dates, a jar 
of sheep's butter, and the munitions of war, are 
formed into a sort of square tower on the ani- 
mal's back. The men, conveniently placed on 
each side on seats composed of cordage, thus 
carry with them everything of which their tem- 
perate habits have need. When they are hun- 
gry, they knead a little of the meal with butter, 
and eat it in that state without baking; a few 
dates and a small quantity of water completing 
their moderate repast: nor do they quit their 
post to sleep, but throw themselves across the 
camel in the manner I have already described. 
The next day's engagement was more serious. 
Our Bedouins fought with more inveterate ob- 
stinacy than their adversaries, because their wo- 
men and children were in their rear, while the 
Wahabees, far from home, and with no other ob- 
ject than pillage, were little disposed to risk 
their lives in the cause. Night separated the 
combatants, but with the earliest dawn the battle 
recommenced: at length, towards evening, vic- 
tory declared in our favour; the enemy having 
lost sixty men killed, took to flight and left us in 
possession of the field of battle, besides twenty- 
two prisoners, forty beautiful mares, and sixty 
camels. This victory still enhanced the reputa- 
tion of the Drayhy, and filled Shei'< Ibrahim 
with joy; in the exuberance of which he ex- 



142 

claimed, "Thanks be to God, our affairs pros- 
per I" 

Having no longer any enemies to fear in the 
Syrian desert, Sheik Ibrahim parted company 
for a time from the Drayhy, and went to Hems 
to purchase merchandise and write to Europe. 
During our stay in that place he left me perfectly 
at liberty to seek amusement, and to recover 
from all my fatigues; and I made daily excur- 
sions into the country in company with some of 
my young friends, doubly enjoying this life of 
pleasure from its contrast with that which I had 
led amongst the Bedouins. But, alas! my joy 
was to be of short duration, and was soon con- 
verted into bitter anguish. A messenger, who 
had been to Aleppo to fetch remittances for M f 
Lasearis, brought me a letter from my mother, 
couched in terms of the deepest affliction, and 
announcing the death of my elder brother by the 
plague. Grief made her writing almost inco- 
herent. She had been ignorant of my destiny 
for nearly the last three years, and conjured me, 
if still in existence, to go to her. 

This dreadful intelligence deprived me of the 
use of my senses, and for three days I was un- 
conscious where I was, and refused all nourish- 
ment. Thanks to the attentive care of M. Las- 
caris, I gradually recovered my recollection; 
but all that I could obtain from him was per- 
mission to write to my poor mother. Neither 
was I allowed to despatch my letter till the eve 
of our departure, for fear she should come her- 
self to seek me. But I pass over the detail of 



143 

my personal feelings, in which the reader can 
have no interest, to return to our travels. 

The Drayhy having advertised us that he 
would shortly set out for the east, we hastened to 
join him, with three camels, two mares, and four 
guides, whom he had placed at our disposal. 
The day of our departure from Hems, I felt so 
extraordinary a weight upon my heart that I was 
tempted to regard it as a fatal presentiment. It 
struck me that I was advancing to a premature 
death. I made the best use, however, of my 
reasoning powers, and at length persuaded myself 
that the oppression I experienced resulted from 
the dejection into which my mother's afflicting 
letter had plunged me. We set out on a journey 
of twenty hours, and though wearied by travel- 
ling the whole day, were persuaded by our guides 
not to halt till we had completed it. Nothing 
particular occurred till midnight; when growing 
drowsy from fatigue and the monotonous move- 
ment of the march, we were alarmed by a sudden 
cry from the advanced guide — " Rouse your- 
selves, and look well about you, for we are on the 
brink of a tremendous precipice!" The road was 
but a foot in breadth ; on the right was a perpen- 
dicular mountain, and on the left the precipice 
called Wadi el Hail. I woke in surprise, rubbed 
my eyes, and reseized the bridle, which I had 
allowed to hang loosely over the neck of my 
mare. But this precaution, which ought to have 
saved me, was the very thing that had nearly 
caused my death ; for the animal having stum- 
bled against a stone, fear made me draw the reins 



144 

too hastily. She reared, and in coming down lost 
her footing, stepped only on vacancy, and rolled 
over with her rider to the bottom of the preci- 
pice. What passed after that moment of agony 
I know only from Sheik Ibrahim, who has since 
told me, that he dismounted in terror, and en- 
deavoured to distinguish the nature of the gulf in 
which I had disappeared ; but the night was too 
dark, — the noise of my fall was the only notice 
he had of it, and he could discern nothing but an 
abyss beneath his feet. He then betook himself 
to weeping, and conjuring the guides to go down 
the precipice. But this they declared impossible 
in the darkness, assuring him moreover, that it 
would be useless trouble, since I must not only 
be certainly dead, but dashed to pieces against 
the points of the rocks. Whereupon he announ- 
ced his resolution not to stir from the spot till the 
daylight should enable him to make his researches, 
and promised a hundred tallarins to whoever 
should recover my body, however mutilated it 
might be, as he could not, he said, consent to 
leave it a prey to wild beasts. He then sat down 
on the edge of the gulf, waiting in mournful des- 
pair for the first glimmerings of daylight. 

No sooner were they perceptible, than the four 
men descended the abyss with much difficulty? 
and found me, insensible, suspended by my sash, 
my head downwards. The mare lay dead a few 
toises below, at the extremity of the ravine. I 
had ten wounds on my head, the flesh torn from 
my left arm, my ribs broken, and my legs scratch- 
ed to the bone. I was deposited, without any 
sign of life, at the feet of Sheik Ibrahim, who 



145 

threw himself upon me in tears. But having a 
little knowledge of medicine, and carrying 
always some valuable remedies about with him, 
he did not long abandon himself to a useless grief. 
Having satisfied himself, by the application of 
volatiles to the nostrils, that I was not absolutely 
dead, he placed me carefully on a camel, and 
retraced his steps as far as the village of El Ha- 
bedin. During this short journey my body 
swelled prodigiously, without giving any other 
sign of life. The village sheik having placed me 
on a mattress, sent to Hems for a surgeon. For 
nine whole hours I remained perfectly insensible; 
and at the end of that time opened my eyes with- 
out the smallest perception of the objects around 
me, or recollection of what had befallen me. I 
felt as if under the influence of a dream, but 
without being sensible of pain. In this state I 
lay for four-and-twenty hours, and recovered 
from my lethargy only to suffer such indescriba- 
ble agonies that I fancied it would have been bet- 
ter a hundredfold to have remained at the bottom 
of the precipice. 

Sheik Ibrahim never quitted me for an instant, 
and offered the highest rewards to the surgeon in 
case he should succeed in saving me. The latter 
was zealous, but by no means skilful ; and no 
amendment appearing at the expiration of thirty 
days, gangrene was apprehended. The Drayhy 
had visited me immediately on being informed of 
my accident; and he also wept over me, and of- 
fered rich presents to stimulate the surgeon's 
efforts: but at the highest point of his sensibility 
he could not suppress his regret for the loss of 

• N 



146 

his mare Abaige, who was of pure blood, and 
worth ten thousand piastres. Nevertheless, he 
was in real distress, as was Ibrahim; for they not 
only feared my loss, but foresaw in it the miscar- 
riage of all their operations. I endeavoured to 
encourage them, telling them that I did not be- 
lieve myself dying. But it was too true, that 
though, I should be spared, there was no proba- 
bility of my being for a long while in a condition 
to travel. 

The Drayhy was obliged to take leave of us to 
pursue his migration eastwards; and Sheik Ibra- 
him was in despair at seeing me grow daily worse. 
Hearing at length that a more skilful surgeon 
resided at El Dair Attia, he sent for him. The 
surgeon refused to come, requiring that the pa- 
tient should be taken to him. I was therefore 
put upon a sort of litter in the best manner that 
could be contrived, and carried to him, at the 
hazard of expiring on the road. The new sur- 
geon entirely changed the dressing of my wounds, 
and washed them with warm wine. Three 
months I stayed with him, suffering martyrdom, 
and a thousand times regretting the death I had 
escaped. I was then transported to the village 
of Nabek, where for three months longer I kept 
my bed. From that period I may date the actual 
commencement of my recovery, though it was 
retarded by frequent relapses. Upon the sight 
of a horse, for example, I fainted, and continued, 
for a month in a state of extreme nervousness, 
which at length, and by degrees, I conquered : 
but I am bound to confess that to this moment 
the presence of that animal causes me a shudder; 



147 

and I made a resolution never again to mount a 
horse, except in a case of absolute necessity. 

My illness cost Sheik Ibrahim five hundred 
tallarins. But how shall I estimate his atten- 
tions, his paternal care ! I am assuredly indebted 
to him for my life. 

During my convalescence he learnt that our 
friend the Pacha of Damascus had been replaced 
by another, Soliman Selim. This news greatly 
disconcerted us, as it appeared indicative of the 
loss of our credit with the Turks. 

Ten months had elapsed — a second spring was 
come, and we were expecting with impatience 
the arrival of the Bedouins, our allies, when, to 
our great joy, a courier announced their ap- 
proach. We forwarded him in haste to the 
Drayhy, who liberally rewarded him for the good 
news he brought of my recovery, which pro- 
duced universal joy in the camp, where I had 
long been supposed dead. We waited some days 
longer, till the tribe advanced nearer; and in the 
interval a singular story came to my knowledge, 
which I think worthy of insertion, as an illustra- 
tion of Arab manners. 

A merchant of Anatolia, escorted by fifty 
men, was leading ten thousand sheep to be sold 
at Damascus. On the road he made acquaint- 
ance with three Arabs, with one of whom he 
formed a close intimacy, and at parting was de- 
sired to swear fraternity with him. The mer- 
chant could not discover in what respect he, 
who was the proprietor of ten thousand sheep, 
and was escorted by fifty soldiers, could be 
benefitted by having a brother amongst the poor 



148 

Bedouins; but the Bedouin, whose name was 
Chatti, was so importunate, that, to satisfy him, 
he consented to give him two piastres and a 
handful of tobacco as pledges of fraternity. 
Chatti divided the two piastres between his 
companions, saying, " Be ye witnesses that this 
man is become my brother." They then sepa- 
rated, and the merchant thought no more of the 
matter, till, at a place called Ain el Alak, a 
party of Bedouins, superior in number to his 
escort, attacked and routed them, took posses- 
sion of his sheep, and stripped him to his shirt ; 
in which pitiable condition he arrived at Damas- 
cus, imprecating curses upon the Bedouins, and 
especially upon his pretended brother Chatti, 
whom he accused of betraying and selling him. 

Meanwhile the news of so rich a capture was 
quickly spread in the desert, and reached the 
ears of Chatti, who, having with some difficulty 
found his two witnesses, brought them before 
Soultan el Brrak, chief of the tribe of El Am- 
mour, to whom he declared that he was brother 
to the merchant who had just been robbed, and 
called upon the chief to enable him to fulfil the 
duties of fraternity, by restoring the property. 
Soultan, having taken the depositions of the two 
witnesses, was obliged to accompany Chatti to 
El Nahimen, the sheik of the tribe which had 
carried off the sheep, and to reclaim them in 
conformity with their laws. The sheik was un- 
der the necessity of restoring them ; and Chatti, 
having first ascertained that none were missing, 
took the road to Damascus, with the flocks and 
their shepherds. 



149 

Leaving them outside the town, he entered it 
in search of his brother, whom he found seated 
in a melancholy mood in front of a coffee-room 
of the Bazaar. He went straight to him with a 
joyful air ; but the other turned angrily away, 
and Chatti had great difficulty in obtaining a 
hearing, and still greater in persuading him to 
believe that his sheep were waiting for him out- 
side the walls. He apprehended a new snare, 
and would not for a long while consent to follow 
the Bedouin. Convinced at last by the sight of 
his sheep, he threw himself on Chatti's neck, 
and after giving full expression to his gratitude, 
vainly exerted himself to induce him to accept 
a recompense proportioned to such a service. 
The Bedouin could only be persuaded to receive 
a pair of boots and a cafia (handkercheif), not 
worth above a tallarin at the utmost, and, after 
partaking of his brother's bread, returned to his 
tribe. 

Our first interview with the Drayhy was 
truly affecting. He came himself, with the 
principal members of his tribe, to seek us at the 
village of Nabek, and took us back in a sort of 
triumph to the camp. By the way he gave us 
the history of the wars he had waged in the ter- 
ritory of Samarcand, and his good fortune in 
vanquishing four of the principal tribes,* and 
afterwards inducing them to sign the treaty. It 
was important to have detached these tribes in 



*The tribe El Krassa, whose chief was Zahaman Ebn 
Houad ; the tribe El Mahlac, with its chief Ebn Habed ; the 
tribe El Meraikhrat, its chief Rondan Ebn Abed ; and the tribe 
El Zeker, its chief Matlac Ebn Fayhan. 

n2 



150 

time from their alliance with the Wahabees, to 
whom they were formerly tributary ; for it was 
reported that our enemies were preparing a for- 
midable army, and flattered themselves with 
obtaining the supremacy of all Syria. Soon 
afterwards we heard that the army was on its 
march, spreading terror and devastation every- 
where on its passage. 

The Pacha of Damascus despatched orders to 
the governors of Hems and Hama, to keep 
guard day and night, and to hold their troops in 
readiness for battle : while the inhabitants fled 
towards the coast, to escape the sanguinary Wa- 
habees, whose name alone sufficed to drive them 
from their homes. 

The Drayhy was invited by the pacha to a 
conference with him at Damascus ; but fearing 
some treason, he excused himself under pre- 
tence of the impossibility of deserting his post 
at so critical a moment. He even requested 
from him some auxiliary troops, hoping by their 
assistance to be able to keep the enemy in 
check. 

While waiting for the expected reinforce- 
ment, the Drayhy caused a solemn declaration 
of war to be made, according to the custom of 
the Bedouins on very particular occasions, in 
the following form : — A white female camel was 
selected, and blackened all over with soot and 
oil ; reins made of black hair were then put 
over her, and she was mounted by a young 
maiden dressed in black, with her face and 
hands also blackened. Ten men led her from 
tribe to tribe, and on reaching each she pro- 



151 

claimed aloud three times, — " Succour ! suc- 
cour! succour! Which of you will make this 
camel white ? she is a relic from the tent of the 
Drayhy menacing ruin. Fly, fly, noble and 
generous defenders ! The Wahabees are com- 
ing ! they will carry away your allies and your 
brothers : all you who hear me, address your 
prayers to the prophets Mahomet and Ali, the 
first and the last V 9 

Saying which, she distributed amongst the 
tribe handfuls of black hair, and letters from the 
Drayhy, indicating the place of rendezvous on 
the banks of the Orontes. Our camp was in a 
short time augmented by the coalition of thirty 
tribes, assembled in the same plain, and so 
thickly encamped that the ropes of our tents 
touched. The Pacha of Damascus sent ten 
thousand men to Hama, commanded by his ne- 
phew Ibrahim Pacha, there to wait for other 
troops which the Pachas of Acre and Aleppo 
were to furnish. Scarcely had they met, when 
the arrival of the Wahabees at Palmyra was an- 
nounced by the inhabitants, who fled to take 
refuge in Hama. Ibrahim Pacha wrote to the 
Drayhy, who repaired to him, and they ar- 
ranged together their plan of defence. The 
Drayhy, who took me with him as his counsellor, 
acquainted me with the stipulations agreed upon ; 
when I pointed out to him the danger of uniting 
Bedouins and Turks in the same camp, the lat- 
ter having no means of distinguishing in the 
confusion of battle their friends from their ene- 
mies. The Bedouins themselves, indeed, recog- 
nize each other in the heat of the fight only by 



152 

their war-cries, each tribe incessantly repeating 
its own, — u Khrail el allia Doualli, — Khrail el 
bionda Hassny, — Khrail el hamra Daffiry," 
&c.$ — Khrail signifying horsemen ; allia, bionda, 
hamra, indicating the colour of their favourite 
mare ; Doualli, Hassny, Dafliry, are the names 
of the tribes. This war-cry, therefore, is equiv- 
alent to the words, horsemen of the red mare of 
Daffir, &c. Others invoke their sister, or some 
other beauty ; hence the Drayhy's war-cry is, 
Ana Akhron Rabda, — I the brother of Rabda ; 
that of Mehanna, — I the brother of Fodda: 
both have sisters renowned for their beauty. 
The Bedouins pride themselves greatly in their 
war-cries, and would consider that man a cow- 
ard who should hesitate to pronounce it in the 
moment of danger. The Drayhy saw the force 
of my argument, and persuaded Ibrahim Pacha, 
though with difficulty, to consent to a division 
of their forces. 

The next day we returned to the camp, fol- 
lowed by the Mussulman army, composed of 
Dalatis, Albanese, Mogrebins, Houaras, and 
Arabs; in all, fifteen thousand men. They had 
with them some pieces of ordnance, a few mor- 
tars and bombs, and pitched their tents half an 
hour's march from ours : the pride of their bear- 
ing, the variety and richness of their costumes, 
and their banners, altogether formed a magnifi- 
cent spectacle ? but, in spite of their fine ap- 
pearance, the Bedouins jested upon them, and 
asserted that they would be the first to fly. 

In the afternoon of the second day a broad 
cloud was observable towards the desert; spread- 



153 

ing itself like a thick fog as far as the eye could 
reach : by degrees the cloud cleared up, and 
the enemy's army appeared in view. 

This time they brought their wives, their 
children, and their camels, and established their 
camp, composed of fifty tribes, forming seventy- 
five thousand tents, at an hour's march from 
ours. About each tent, camels and a great 
number of sheep were tied ; presenting, together 
with the horses and warriors, a formidable mass- 
to the eye. Ibrahim Pacha was in conster- 
nation, and sent in great haste in search of 
the Drayhy, who, having succeeded in reani- 
mating his courage a little, returned to the 
camp, to order the necessary entrenchments. 
For this purpose all the camels were assembled^ 
bound together by their knees, and placed in 
double files in front of the tents ; and, to com- 
plete the rampart, a trench was dug behind 
them. The enemy on his part did the same,, 
and the Drayhy ordered the Hatfe to be pre- 
pared. This singular ceremony consists in se- 
lecting the most beautiful amongst the Bedouin 
girls, to be placed in a houdah, richly orna- 
mented, borne by a tall white camel. The 
choice of the maiden who is destined to occupy 
this honourable but perilous post is very import- 
ant, for the success of the battle depends almost 
entirely upon her. Placed opposite to the ene- 
my, and surrounded by the bravest warriors, it 
is her duty to excite them to the combat : the 
principal action always takes place around her, 
and prodigies of valour defend her. All would 
be lost should the hatfe fall into the enemy's 



154 

hands ; and, to avoid so irreparable a misfor- 
tune, half the army must always be stationed 
about her. Warriors succeed each other on 
this point, where the battle is always hottest, 
and each comes to gather enthusiasm from her 
looks. A girl named Arkia, uniting in .an emi- 
nent degree courage, eloquence and beauty, was 
chosen for our hatfe. The enemy also prepared 
his, and the battle soon afterwards commenced. 
The Wahabees divided their army into two 
corps : the first and most considerable, com- 
manded by Abdallah el Hedal, the general-in- 
chief, was opposed to us ; the second, under the 
command of Abou Nocta, to the Turks, Both 
the character of the latter, and their mode of 
lighting, are totally different from those of the 
Bedouins, who, prudent and cool headed, begin 
the action calmly, but growing gradually ani- 
mated, become at last furious and irresistible. 
The Turk, on the contrary, proud and arro- 
gant, rushes impetuously upon the enemy, and 
fancies he has only to appear and conquer : his 
whole energy is thus expended on the first 
shock. 

The Pacha Ibrahim, seeing the Wahabees at- 
tack coldly, deemed himself sufficiently strong 
to disperse their entire army without assistance ; 
but, before the end of the day, he had learned by 
dear-bought experience to respect his enemy, 
and was forced to permit his troops to fall back, 
leaving us to sustain the whole weight of the 
action. 

Sunset suspended the engagement, but not till 
both parties had suffered a severe loss. 



155 

The next morning brought us a reinforcement, 
in the tribe of El Hadidi, four thousand strong, 
all mounted on asses, and armed with muskets. 
We numbered our forces, which amounted to 
eighty thousand men ; but the Wahabees had a 
hundred and fifty thousand, and this day's battle 
terminated in their favour. Our defeat, exagge- 
rated, as always happens in similar cases, was 
reported at Hama, and filled the inhabitants with 
dismay; but two days afterwards their fears for 
us were removed, and for three weeks we were 
alternately discomfited and successful. The ac- 
tions became daily more sanguinary ; and on the 
fifteenth day of this trying campaign, a new 
enemy, more formidable than the Wahabees, 
arose in the shape of famine. The town of Hama, 
which alone could furnish subsistence to either 
army, was exhausted, or concealed its resources. 
The Turks took to flight; our allies dispersed, 
to avoid perishing with hunger; the camels, 
forming the rampart of our camp, began to devour 
one another. Amidst such frightful calamities, 
the courage of Arkia never for an instant waver- 
ed. The bravest of our warriors were slain by 
her side ; but she ceased not to encourage them, 
and to excite and applaud their efforts. She 
animated the old by extolling their valour and 
experience; the young, by the promise of mar- 
rying him who should bring her the head of Ab- 
dallah el Hedal. Keeping my station near her 
houdah, I saw all the warriors present themselves 
to her for some words of encouragement, and 
then rush to the combat, excited to enthusiasm 
by her eloquence. I confess I preferred hearing 



156 

these compliments to receiving them myself, for 
they were almost uniformly the forerunners of 
death. 

I one day saw a fine young man, one of our 
bravest soldiers, present himself before the hou- 
dah: " Arkia," said he, " thou fairest amongst 
the fair, allow me a sight of thy face, for I go to 
fight for thee!" Arkia, unveiling, replied: 
" Behold, thou most valiant ! Thou knowest 
my price ; it is the head of Abdallah !" The 
young man brandished his spear, put spurs to his 
courser, and rushed into the midst of the enemy. 
In less than two hours he sank covered with 
wounds. " Heaven preserve you I" said I to 
Arkia, " this brave man is killed."— " He is 
not the only one who has never returned," she 
sorrowfully replied. At this moment a warrior 
made his appearance, armed from head to foot ; 
even his boots were defended with steel, and his 
horse covered with a coat of mail, (the Waha- 
bees reckoned twenty such warriors amongst 
them ; we had twelve.) He advanced towards 
our camp, challenging the Drayhy to single com- 
bat: this has been the custom amongst the Be- 
douins from time immemorial; he who is thus 
defied, cannot without forfeiting his honour re- 
fuse to fight. The Drayhy, hearing his name, 
prepared to answer to the challenge : but his 
kinsmen joined with us to prevent it. His life 
was of too much importance to be thus risked; 
for the loss of it would have entailed the total 
ruin of our cause, and the destruction of the two 
allied armies. Persuasion becoming useless, we 
were obliged to have recourse to coercion. We 



157 

bound him with cords hand and foot to stakes 
driven into the ground in the middle of his tent: 
the most influential chiefs supported him, and 
entreated him to calm himself, urging the impru- 
dence of risking the welfare of the army for the 
purpose of answering the insolent bravado of a 
savage Wahabee. Meanwhile, the latter inces- 
santly exclaimed : " Let the Drayhy come forth! 
this shall be his last day ; I am waiting to termi- 
nate his career. " The Drayhy, who heard him, 
becoming more and more furious, foamed with 
rage and roared like a lion ; his blood-shot eyes 
almost starting from his head, while he fought 
with terrible strength to disencumber himself of 
his bonds. This tumult attracted a considerable 
multitude around the tent, when suddenly a 
Bedouin, making his way through the crowd, 
presented himself before the Drayhy. His sole 
clothing was a shirt bound round his loins with a 
leathern girdle, and" a turban on his head; he 
was mounted upon a bay horse, and armed only 
with a spear; and thus singularly equipped, he 
came to ask, in the following metrical style, per- 
mission to fight the Wahabee instead of the sheik : 
"This day, I, Tehaisson, have become master of 
the horse Hadidi : it has long been the object of 
my ambition; I wished to receive upon his back 
the praises due to my valour. I am about to 
fight and to vanquish the Wahabee, for the beau- 
tiful eyes of my betrothed, and to render myself 
worthy of his daughter who was always conque- 
ror." So saying, he rushed to combat the hos- 
tile warrior. No one imagined that he could for 
one half hour resist his formidable antagonist^ 

o 



158 

whose armour rendered him invulnerable ; but if 
the blows he dealt were thus robbed of their 
murderous power, he avoided with wonderful 
dexterity those that were aimed at himself during 
the two hours that the struggle lasted. Mean- 
while, all was suspense ; the deepest interest was 
manifested on both sides. At length our cham- 
pion turned round, and apparently took to flight. 
All hope was now lost; the enemy was about to 
proclaim his triumph. The Wahabee pursued, 
and, with a hand strengthened by the assurance 
of success, flung his lance ; but Tehaisson, fore- 
seeing the blow, stooped even to his saddle-bow, 
and the weapon flew whizzing above his head ; 
then, suddenly returning, he thrust his spear in- 
to the throat of his adversary, taking advantage 
of the moment when the latter, being obliged to 
curb his horse hastily before him, was in the act 
of raising his head. This movement leaving a 
space between the helmet tind the cuirass, the 
spear passed through from side to side, and killed 
him on the spot: but his armour supporting him 
in the saddle, he was carried by his horse into 
themidstof his followers; and Tehaisson returned 
in triumph to the tent of the Drayhy, where he 
was enthusiastically rece ved. All the chiefs 
embraced him, loading him with eulogies and 
presents; and Sheik Ibrahim was not backward 
in testifying his gratitude. 

Meanwhile, the war and the famine continued 
to rage : even in the Drayhy's tent we were two 
days without food ; on the third, he received a 
considerable supply of rice, wbich Mola Ismael, 
chief of the Dallatis, sent him as a present. In- 
stead of husbanding it as a last resource, he or- 



159 

dered that the whole should be dressed, and in- 
vited all present to sup with him. His son Saher 
would not sit down to table ; but, being impor- 
tuned by his father, he requested that his portion 
might be given to him, and carried it to his 
mare, declaring that he had rather suffer himself, 
than see her die for want of food. 

We had now arrived at the thirty- seventh day 
from the commencement of the war: on the thir- 
ty-eighth, the battle was terrible. The camp of 
the Osmanlis was taken and pillaged : the pacha 
had scarcely time to escape to Hama, whither he 
was pursued by the Wahabee, who there besieged 
him. 

The defeat of the Turks was the more fatal to 
us, as it left the second corps of the hostile army, 
commanded by the famous Negro Abou Nocta, 
at liberty to unite with Abdallah, and make a 
combined attack upon us. The following day 
witnessed the commencement of a frightful strug- 
gle, which lasted eight days without intermission. 
The combatants were so intermingled together, 
that it was impossible to distinguish one party from 
another. They fought with the sabre man to 
man; the entire plain was deluged with blood, 
the colour of the ground being totally invisible: 
never perhaps was such a battle fought. The 
inhabitants of Hama, fully persuaded that we 
were utterly exterminated, no longer sent us 
those occasional supplies of provisions which, 
coming at our utmost need, had hitherto pre- 
served us from starvation. At length the Dray- 
hy, finding his misfortunes accumulate, assembled 
his chiefs, and addressed them thus: "My 
friends, it now becomes necessary that we should 



160 

make a last effort. To-morrow we must either 
conquer or die. To-morrow, by God's permis- 
sion, I will destroy the enemy's camp: to-morrow 
we will feast upon its spoils." This harangue 
was received with a smile of incredulity; until 
one, more daring than the rest, replied: "Give 
but the word, and we will obey." — "This 
night," he continued, "you must noisely trans- 
plant your tents, your wives, and your children, 
to the other side of the Orontes. The whole 
must have disappeared before sunrise, without 
the cognisance of the enemy. Then, having no 
longer any care to trouble us, we will make a 
desperate attack upon them, and will exterminate 
them, or perish ourselves in the attempt: but 
God will be on our side, arid we shall conquer." 
Every one hastened to execute the commands 
thus given, with incredible order, celerity, and 
silence. The next day, the efficient warriors 
alone remained. The Drayhy divided them into 
four corps, ordering a simultaneous attack upon 
the four sides of the enemy's camp. The troops, 
in desperation, threw themselves upon their prey 
like hungry lions; and the impetuous but well- 
concerted onset was attended with all the success 
which could have been wished. Confusion and 
disorder spreading rapidly amongst their unex- 
pectedly enclosed ranks, the Wahabees took to 
flight, abandoning their women and children, 
their tents and their baggage. The Drayhy, 
without allowing his men time to seize upon the 
booty, obliged them to pursue the fugitives to 
Palmyra, and gave them no respite until they had 
accomplished the total dispersion of the enemy. 
No sooner had victory declared itself in our 



161 

favour, than I departed with Sheik Ibrahim to 
announce the joyful intelligence at Hama; but 
nobody there would give credit to it, and the 
inhabitants would fain have treated ourselves as 
fugitives. They exhibited the utmost pertur- 
bation: some climbed the heights, whence they 
could perceive nothing but clouds of dust; others 
prepared their mules for flight towards the coast. 
The defeat of the Wahabees being, however, 
speedily confirmed, the most extravagant de- 
monstrations of joy succeeded to this terrible 
alarm. A Tartar was despatched to Damascus, 
and brought back with him forty loads of wheat, 
twenty-five thousand piastres, and a sabre and a 
robe of honour for the Drayhy, who made his 
triumphal entry into Hama, escorted by all the 
chiefs of the allied tribes. He was received by 
the governor, the agas, the pacha, and all his 
court, in the most splendid manner. 

After four days of rejoicings we quitted Hama, 
to rejoin our tribes, and conduct them to the 
east before the approach of winter. The Dray- 
hy was personally attended by a company of 
twelve; the others, in groups of five or six, dis- 
persed themselves in the desert of Damascus. 
Our first stay was at Tall el Dehab, in the ter- 
ritory of Aleppo, where we encountered four 
tribes who had taken no part in the war. The 
chiefs came forward to meet the Drayhy, pene- 
trated with respect for his recent exploits, and 
soliciting the favour of being admitted to sign the 
treaty of alliance with us.* From thence we 

* Fares Ebn Aggib, chief of the tribe El Bechakez, with five 
hundred tents; Cassan Ebn Unkban, chief of the tribe El Chi- 

o2 



162 



marched without interruption to join our friend, 
the Emir Faher, who received us with the most 
lively demonstrations of joy. In company with 
his, and several other tribes, proceeding like 
ourselves to Mesopotamia, we crossed the Eu- 
phrates, some establishing themselves in the 
neighbourhood of Hamad, others in the desert 
of Bussora. 

On the road we received a letter from Fares 
el Harba, announcing that six considerable tribes, 
who had fought on the side of the Wahabees 
against us, were encamped in the Hebassia, near 
Machadali, and were well disposed to enter into 
alliance with us; and that if the Drayhy would 
send me to him furnished with full powers to 
treat, he believed himself certain of success. I 
lost not a moment in availing myself of this invi- 
tation, and, after a journey of six hours, reached 
him without accident. Fares el Harba imme- 
diately broke up his camp, and conducted me to 
the distance of a day's journey from the tribes.* 
I then wrote in his name to the Emir Douac- 
khry, chief of the tribe El Fedhan, exhorting 
him to make an alliance with the Drayhy, and 
promising oblivion of the past. Douackhry came 
in person to Fares el Harba, and we were soon 
agreed ; but he disclaimed answering for more 



amssi, one thousand tents; Selame Ebn Nahssan, chief of the 
tribe El Fuaher, six hundred tents; Mehanna el Saneh, chief of 
the tribe El Salba, eight hundred tents. 

* The tribe of El Fedhan, composed of five thousand tents; 
that of El Sabha, four thousand tents; El Fekaka, one thousand 
five hundred; El Messahid, three thousand five hundred; El 
Salca, three thousand; finally, that of Benni Dehabb, five 
thousand. 



163 

than his own tribe, considering that it would be 
extremely difficult to succeed with the others. 
He proposed, however, that I should accompany 
him back, when he would assemble the chiefs of 
all the tribes, and exert his utmost influence 
with them. I accepted the invitation, and de- 
parted with him; but when arrived in the cen- 
tre of what ought to have been an encampment, 
I was painfully affected to behold hordes of Arabs 
crouching on the ground under the full blaze of 
the sun : having lost their tents and baggage in 
the battle, their only bed was the bare ground, 
their only canopy the sky. A few rags sus- 
pended here and there upon pikes did indeed 
afford a semblance of shade to these unfortunate 
beings, who, having stripped themselves of their 
only garments to furnish this slender shelter 
from the fervent heat of the sun, were exposed 
to the sting of insects, and to the thorny points 
of the plants on which their camels browse. 
Many were wholly destitute of any defence either 
from the heat of day or the cold of night, at that 
autumnal season, when the contrasts of tempera- 
ture are most fatal. 

Never had I conceived an idea of wretched- 
ness so complete: the sad spectacle oppressed 
my heart and drew tears from my eyes, and it 
was some time before I could recover from the 
agitation it occasioned me. 

The next day Douackhry assembled the chiefs 
and old men to the number of five hundred. 
Alone in the midst of them, I despaired of mak- 
ing myself heard, and especially of being able 
to unite them in one counsel. Independent in 
their character and manners, and irritated by 



164 

misfortune, they all mooted different opinions; 
and if neither hoped to make his own prevail, 
at least each made it a point of honour to main- 
tain it obstinately, leaving all the others at lib- 
erty to do the like. Some proposed removing 
to the Nedgde country, others to retire to Sa- 
marcand : these vociferated imprecations against 
Abdallah, chief of the Wahabee army ; those de- 
nounced the Drayhy as the author of all their 
misfortunes. Amid the conflict of voices, I 
armed myself with patience, and endeavoured 
to conciliate all parties. I began by shaking their 
confidence in the Wahabees; showing them that 
Abdallah must necessarily have become their 
enemy, since they had abandoned him on the 
last day of the battle, and that he was now seek- 
ing vengeance upon them : that in going to 
Nedgde they voluntarily threw themselves under 
the domination of Ebn Sihoud, who would extort 
from them oppressive contributions, and compel 
them to bear the whole burden of a disastrous 
war: that having once deserted his cause, and 
effected their withdrawal from his power, they 
should not follow the example of the foolish bird, 
who no sooner escapes the sportsman's shot than 
he falls into the fowler's net. At last, the fable 
of the bundle of sticks occurred to my mind; 
and thinking so simple a demonstration would 
make an impression on their unsophisticated 
minds, I determined to make a practical appli- 
cation of it before their eyes. Having exhorted 
them to be united, and by their union to resist 
all oppression, I took from the hands of the sheiks 
about thirty djerids, and presented one to the 
Emir Fares, requesting he would break it, which 



165 

he effected with ease. I then presented him 
with two, and afterwards with three, all of which 
he broke in the same manner, for he was a man 
of great muscular strength. I then placed in 
his hand the whole bundle, which he could nei- 
ther break nor bend. "Machala," said I, "thy 
strength is not sufficient;" and I then passed the 
united spears to another, who succeeded no 
better. A general murmur now arose in the 
assembly: " Who could split such a mass?" cried 
they unanimously. "I take you at your word," 
said I; and in the most energetic language I 
could command, I applied the apologue to their 
reasoning faculties, — adding, that so powerfully 
had I been affected by their destitute condition, 
without clothing or shelter, that I pledged my- 
self to solicit from the Drayhy the restitution of 
their baggage and tents, and that I was sufficient- 
ly acquainted with his magnanimity to answer 
for the success of my application, if they entered 
heartily. into the alliance, of which I had just 
proved the advantages. Upon this they all ex- 
claimed with one voice: "Thou hast conquered, 
Abdallah; we are thine in life and in death!" 
and all ran forward to embrace me. It was then 
determined that they should give the Drayhy the 
rendezvous in the plain of Halla, to affix their 
seal to the treaty. 

Recrossing the Euphrates the next morning, I 
rejoined our tribe on the fifth day, and found my 
friends uneasy at my protracted absence ; but 
the report of my fortunate negotiation filled 
them with joy. I have already so frequently 
detailed meetings, feasts, and rejoicings of every 
kind, that I shall not repeat the same narrative 



166 

by describing tbose wbich took place on this 
occasion. 

The Emir Douaekhry buried the seven stones, 
and thus consummated the alliance; and after 
dinner I witnessed for the first time the cere- 
mony of swearing fidelity over bread and salt. 
The Drayhy then declared that he was ready to 
fulfil the engagement I had contracted in his 
name, by restoring the booty taken from the six 
tribes who had just united their cause with his. 
But the generous will was insufficient — the 
means of its execution were still to be provided. 
In the pillage of the Wahabee and allied camp, 
the plunder of fifty tribes was confounded, and 
to identify the property of each was no easy 
matter. It was decided that the women alone 
were competent to the task ; and it would be 
impossible to form an idea of the exertion and 
fatigue of the five days employed by them in 
recognising the cattle, tents, and baggage of the 
various tribes. Every camel and sheep has two 
ciphers stamped with a hot iron on the leg, 
those of the tribe and the proprietor. But 
when, as it often happens, the ciphers are simi- 
lar, or half effaced, the difficulty of identifying 
them is extreme; and under the exhausting 
task of reconciling such various pretensions, 
and deciding such harassing controversies, which 
it required something more than generosity to 
endure with patience, I was sometimes tempted 
to repent my momentary impulse of compassion 
and my imprudent promise. 

At this time a great caravan from Bagdad to 
Aleppo passed, and was plundered by the Fe- 
dans and Sabhas. It was very richly laden with 



167 

indigo, coffee, spices, Persian carpets, Cash- 
mires, pearls, and other valuable articles, which 
we estimated at ten millions of piastres. No 
sooner was the capture known, than merchants 
flocked to the desert, some from a great dis- 
tance, to purchase these treasures from the 
Arabs, who sold, bartered, or rather gave them 
away almost for nothing. For instance, they 
exchanged a measure of spices against an equal 
measure of dates; a Cashmire shawl, worth a 
thousand francs, against a black saddle-cloth ; a 
chest of indigo for a linen dress; entire pieces 
of India muslin for a pair of boots. A mer- 
chant from Moussoul bought, for a shirt, a sad- 
dle-cloth, and a pair of boots, goods worth 
fifteen thousand piastres ; and a diamond ring 
was sold for a roll of tobacco. I might have 
made my fortune on the oc^sion, but M. Las- 
caris prohibited my either purchasing or receiv- 
ing any thing as a gift, and I scrupulously 
obeyed. Every day tribes arrived from the 
Nedgde country, deserting the Wahabees to 
join us ; some attracted by the Drayhy's extra- 
ordinary reputation, others driven by dissensions 
with King Ebn Sihoud. One circumstance of 
that nature brought us five tribes in a body* 
The emir of the tribe Beny Tay had a very 
beautiful daughter, named Camara (the moon); 
Fehrab, son of the chief of a neighbouring 
tribe, and a relative of the Wahabee, became 
enamoured of her, and contrived to gain her 
affection; but the girl's father discovering their 
passion, forbade her speaking to the prince, and 
himself refused to receive him or listen to his 
proposals, designing Camara for her cousin 



168 

Tamer ; for it is a custom amongst the Bedouins, 
which reminds one of those transmitted to us by 
the Bible, for the nearest kinsman to be pre- 
ferred to all other suitors when a maiden's mar- 
riage is in question. 

Camara, however, neither swayed by the 
usages of her people, nor intimidated by her 
father's menaces, positively refused to espouse 
her cousin ; and her attachment acquiring 
strength in proportion to the obstacles opposed 
to it, she lost no opportunity of corresponding 
with her lover. The latter, seeing no hope of 
obtaining her parent's consent, resolved to run 
away with her, and opened the proposition to 
her through an old woman whom he had gained. 
She gave her consent ; and he introduced him- 
self into the tribe Beny Tay in the disguise of a 
mendicant, and arranged with her the hour and 
circumstances of the elopement. In the middle 
of the night the maiden stole fearfully out of her 
father's tent, to the prince, who was waiting for 
her at the entrance of the camp. He placed 
her behind him on his mare, and dashed across 
the plain ; but the celerity of their flight could 
not conceal them from the jealous eye of Tamer : 
enamoured of his cousin, and determined to 
maintain his right, he had long watched the 
proceedings of his rival, and every night 
mounted guard near Camara's tent. At the 
moment the lovers escaped, he was making his 
circuit ; but immediately perceiving them, he 
galloped in pursuit. Fehrab's mare, endowed 
by nature with all the fleetness of the Nedgdian 
race, and stimulated to greater exertions by her 
master's impatience, urged her course to its 



169 

highest speed ; but, pressed by a double bur- 
den, she could at length no longer give her 
wonted aid to her master — she fell; and Fehrab, 
seeing himself on the point of being overtaken 
by Tamer, lifted his beloved from the horse, 
and prepared for her defence. The combat was 
terrible, and its sequel tragical. Tamer was 
victor, slew Fehrab, and seized his cousin ; but, 
exhausted by fatigue, and now in full security, 
he fell asleep for a moment by her side. Ca- 
mara, who had watched the influence of slumber 
stealing over his senses, snatched up his sabre, 
stained with the blood of her lover, and cut off 
the head of her ravisher ; then precipitating 
herself upon the point of his lance, pierced her 
own- heart. The three dead bodies alone were 
found by those who went in search of them. 

A murderous war between the two tribes was 
the consequence of this melancholy event ; — 
that of Fehrab, supported by the Wahabees, 
forced Beny Tay to a retreat ; and the latter, 
with four other tribes,* its allies, came to solicit 
protection from the Drayhy, whose power was 
henceforth unrivalled. Five hundred thousand 
Bedouins, allied in our cause, formed but one 
camp, and overspread Mesopotamia like a cloud 
of locusts. 

While we remained in the neighbourhood of 
Bagdad, our allies pillaged another caravan com- 
ing from Aleppo, laden with productions of 
European manufacture; cloths, velvets, satins, 

* The tribe of Beny Tay, composed of 4,000 tents ; that of 
El Hamamid, 1,500 tents; of El Daffir, 2,500 tents; of El 
Hegiager, 800 tents ; and lastly, that of El Khresahel, 3,000. 
P 



170 

amber, coral, &c; and although the Drayhy 
took no part in these spoliations, he was too well 
versed in Bedouin habits to think of offering 
any opposition. The Pacha of Bagdad de- 
manded satisfaction, but obtained none; and 
perceiving that to enforce justice would require 
an army of at least fifteen thousand men, he re- 
nounced his claim, happy to continue in friend- 
ship with the Bedouins at any sacrifice. 

Sheik Ibrahim now saw his hopes realized be- 
yond even his most sanguine anticipations; but 
as long as any thing remained to be done, he 
would allow himself no repose: crossing the 
Tigris, therefore, at Abou el Ali, we continued 
our march, and entered Persia. Here, also, 
the reputation of the Drayhy had preceded 
him, and the tribes of the country came con- 
tinually to fraternize w T ith us; but in our vast 
plan of operations, these partial alliances were 
insignificant, — we required the co-operation of 
the great prince, chief of all the Persian tribes, 
the Emir Sahid el Bokhrani, whose command 
extends to the frontiers of India. The family of 
this prince has for many years reigned over the 
errant tribes of Persia, and claims its descent 
from the kings Beni el Abass, who conquered 
Spain, and whose descendants still call them- 
selves the Bokhrani. We learned that he was 
in a very distant province. The Drayhy having 
convoked all the chiefs to a general council, it 
was decided to traverse Persia, keeping as near 
as possible to the sea-coast, notwithstanding the 
probable scarcity of water, in order to avoid the 
mountains which intersect the interior of this. 



171 

country, and to find pasturage. In the itinerary 
of a tribe, a plentiful supply of grass is more 
important than water: the latter may be trans- 
ported, but nothing can remedy a deficiency of 
food for the cattle, on which the very existence 
of the tribe itself depends. 

This march occupied fifty-one days. During 
the whole time we encountered no obstacle on 
the part of the inhabitants, but were often seri- 
ously incommoded by the scarcity of water. On 
one of these occasions, Sheik Ibrahim, having 
observed the nature of the soil and the freshness 
of the grass, advised the Drayhy to dig for water. 
The Bedouins of the country treated the attempt 
as madness, saying that no water had ever been 
known in those parts, and that it was necessary 
to send for it to a distance of six hours. But 
the Drayhy persevered : " Sheik Ibrahim is a 
prophet," said he, " and must be obeyed." 

Holes were accordingly dug in several places, 
and at the depth of four feet excellent water was 
found. Seeing this happy result, the Bedouins 
l)y acclamation proclaimed Sheik Ibrahim a true 
prophet, his discovery a miracle, and, in the 
excess of their gratitude, had well nigh adored 
him as a god. 

After journeying several days among the moun- 
tains and valleys of the Karman, we reached the 
deep and rapid river Karassan ; and having cross- 
ed it, proceeded in the direction of the coast, 
where the road was less difficult. We made 
acquaintance with the Bedouins of the Agiam 
Estan, who received us in a very friendly man- 
ner; and on the forty-second day after entering 



172 

Persia, we arrived at El Hendouan, where one 
of their greatest tribes was encamped, com manded 
by Hebiek el Mahdan. We hoped that our long 
pilgrimage was drawing towards its close; but 
the sheik informed us that we were still distant 
nine long days' journeys from Merah Fames, the 
present residence of the Emir Sahid, on the 
frontiers of India. He offered us guides to con- 
duct us thither, and described the points where 
it would be necessary to lay in a provision of 
water; without which information, we should 
have been exposed to great danger in this last 
expedition. 

We despatched couriers before us, to give no- 
tice to the grand prince of our approach, and of 
our pacific intentions. On the ninth day he came 
to meet us, at the head of a formidable army. It 
did not at first appear very clear whether this 
demonstration of strength was to do us honour or 
to intimidate us. The Drayhy began to repent 
of having ventured so far from his allies. How- 
ever, he showed no symptom of fear, but placing 
the women and the baggage behind the troops, 
he advanced with the choicest of his cavalry, ac- 
companied by his friend the Sheik Saker, — the 
same to whom in the preceding year he had de- 
legated the command of the desert of Bassora, 
and who had negotiated all our alliances there 
during our stay in Syria. 

The prince soon satisfied them respecting his 
intentions; for, detaching himself from this nu- 
merous host, he advanced with a small train of 
horsemen to the middle of the plain which sepa- 
rated the two armies ; the Drayhy did the same ; 



173 

and the two chiefs, on meeting, alighted and em- 
braced with every expression of cordiality. 

If I had not so frequently described the hospi- 
tality of the desert, I should have much to say 
on the reception we experienced from the Emir 
Sahid, and the three days' festivities with which 
he welcomed us : but, to avoid repetitions, I shall 
pass over this scene, only remarking, that the 
Bedouins of Persia, more pacific than those of 
Arabia, entered readily into our views, and fully 
understood the importance of the commercial 
intercourse we were desirous of establishing with 
India. This was all that it was needful to ex- 
plain to them of the nature of our enterprise. 
The emir promised us the co-operation of all the 
tribes of Persia under his dominion, and offered 
his influence with those of India, who hold him 
in high consideration, on account of the antiquity 
of his race, and of his personal reputation for 
wisdom and generosity. He entered into a dis- 
tinct treaty with us, which was drawn up in the 
following terms : — 

" In the name of the clement and merciful 
God, I, Sahid, son of Bader, son of Abdallah, 
son of Barakat, son of Ali, son cf Bokhrani, of 
blessed memory : I hereby make a declaration of 
having given my sacred word to the powerful 
Drayhy Ebn Chahllan, to Sheik Ibrahim, and to 
Abdallah el Katib. I declare myself their faith- 
ful ally ; I accept all the conditions which are 
specified in the general treaty now in their hands. 
I engage to assist and support them in all their 
projects, and to keep their secrets inviolably. 
Their enemies shall be my enemies 5 their friends, 
p2 



174 

my friends. I invoke the great Ali, the first of 
men, and the well-beloved of God, to bear wit- 
ness to my word. 

" Health." 

(Signed and sealed.) 

We remained six days encamped with the tribe 
of Sahid, and had thus an opportunity of observ- 
ing the difference between the customs of these 
Bedouins and those of our provinces. The Per- 
sians are milder, more sober, and more patient; 
but less brave, less generous, and less respectful 
to the women: they have more religious preju- 
dices, and follow the precepts of the sect of Ali. 
Besides the lance, the gun, and the sabre, they 
use the battle-axe. 

Prince Sahid sent to the Dray by two beautiful 
Persian mares, led by two neg oes : the latter, in 
return, made him a present of a black mare of 
great value, of the race of Nedgdie, named Hou- 
ban Neggir, and added some ornaments for his 
wives. 

We were encamped not far from Menouna, 
the last town of Persia, twenty leagues from the 
frontiers of India, on the banks of a river which 
the Bedouins call El Gitan. 

On the seventh day we took leave of Sahid, 
and recommenced our march, in order to reach 
Syria again before the heats of summer set in. 
We marched rapidly, and without precautions, 
till one day, while we were passing through the 
province of Karman, our beasts were carried off; 
and the next day we were ourselves attacked by 
a powerful tribe, commanded by the Emir Re- 
daini, an imperious man, and jealous of his au- 
thority, who constitutes himself the guardian of 



175 

the caliphate of Persia. These Bedouins, very 
superior in number, were as much our inferiors 
in courage and tactics : our troops were vastly 
better commanded. Our position was, however, 
extremely critical — we were lost if the enemy 
gained the smallest advantage; for all the Be- 
douins of the Karman would at once have sur- 
rounded us, and hemmed us in as with a net, 
from which there would have been no possibility 
of escaping, The necessity, then, of inspiring 
them with respect by a decisive victory, which 
should at once cure them of any inclination to 
try their strength with us for the future, was 
imperative; and the Drayhy made the most skil- 
ful and best combined dispositions for ensuring 
the triumph of courage over numbers: he dis- 
played all the resources of his military genius 
and long experience, and himself performed 
prodigies of valour, — he had never commanded 
more calmly, nor fought more impetuously: ac- 
cordingly, the enemy was obliged to retreat, 
leaving us at full liberty to pursue our homeward 
journey. The Drayhy, however, considering 
that it would not be prudent to leave behind him 
a hostile though beaten tribe, slackened his 
march, and sent a courier to the Emir Sahid, to 
give him intelligence of what had passed. The 
messenger returned in a few days, bringing a 
very friendly letter to the Drayhy, enclosing 
a second, addressed in the following terms to 
Redaini : 

"In the name of God the supreme: Be ho- 
mage and respectful prayers ever addressed to 
the greatest, the most powerful, the most honora- 
ble, the wisest; and the handsomest of prophets ! 



176 

the bravest of the brave, the greatest of the 
great, the caliph of caliphs, the master of the 
sabre and of the red ruby, the converter of 
souls, the Iman Ali. This letter is from Sahid 
el Bokhrani, the grandee of the two seas and of 
the two Persias, to his brother the Emir Redaini, 
the son of Kronkiar. We give you to know that 
our brother the Emir Drayhy Ebn Chahllan, of 
the country of Bagdad and Damascus, is come 
from far to visit us and form an alliance with us. 
He has marched on our land and eaten of our 
bread; we have granted him our friendship, 
and moreover have entered into particular en- 
gagements with him, from which great good and 
general tranquillity will result. We desire that 
you do the same : take care that you do not fail 
in this point, or you will lose our esteem, and 
act in opposition to the will of God, and of the 
glorious Iman Ali." 

Here followed many citations from their holy 
books, the GiafFer el Giameh, and the customary 
salutations. 

We sent this letter to the Emir Redaini, who 
thereupon came to us, accompanied by five hun- 
dred horsemen, all richly dressed in gold bro- 
cades : their arms were mounted in chased sil- 
ver, and the Damascus blades of their sabres 
exquisitely worked. Some amicable explana- 
tions having passed, Redaini copied with his 
own hand the particular treaty of the Emir 
Sahid, and signed it : he then took coffee, but 
refused to dine with us, the fanatics of the sect 
of Ali being prohibited from eating either with 
Christians or Turks. To ratify his contract, 
however, he swore upon bread and salt, and 



*177 

then embraced the Drayhy with great protesta- 
tions of fraternity. His tribe, called El Meha- 
ziz, numbers ten thousand tents. After taking 
leave of him, we continued our journey by 
forced marches, advancing fifteen leagues a day 
without halting. On reaching Bagdad, Sheik 
Ibrahim went into the city to take up money; 
but the season requiring expedition, we lost as 
little time as possible. In Mesopotamia we got 
news of the Wahabees. Ebn Sihoud had given 
a very ill reception to his general, Hedal, after 
his defeat, and had sworn to send a more power- 
ful army than the former, under his son, to take 
vengeance upon the Drayhy, and exterminate 
the Bedouins of Syria ; but after having obtained 
more correct information respecting the re- 
sources and personal reputation of the Drayhy, 
he changed his tone, and resolved to make an 
effort towards concluding an alliance with him. 
Foreign events also gave an air of probability to 
these rumours; for the Pacha of Egypt, Mehe- 
met Ali, was preparing an expedition to invade 
Arabia Petrea, and to take possession of the 
riches of Mecca, which, for the present, were 
in the hands of Ebn Sihoud. Either of these 
prospects was agreeable to our projects, which 
would have been equally forwarded, whether 
his proposed alliance took effect, or whether he 
was weakened by a foreign power. We were con- 
tinually meeting on our route tribes which had 
not yet signed the treaty, but which eagerly 
took advantage of the opportunity of doing so.* 

* At Maktal El Abed, we met two tribes, that of Berkaje, 
commanded by Sahdoun Ebn Wuali, 1300 tents strong-, and 
ttjat of Mahimen, commanded by Fahed Ebn Salche, of 300 



178 

On arriving in Syria, we received a courier 
from the King of the Wahabees, who brought 
us a little bit of paper, about three fingers in 
breadth, and twice as long. They affect to use 
these diminutive missives in contrast to the 
Turks, who write their firmans upon large sheets 
of paper. The Arabian character takes so lit- 
tle room, that in this small space was written a 
very long and sufficiently imperious letter. It 
commenced with a sort of confession of faith, or 
declaration, that God is one, universal, and with- 
out equal ; then came all the titles of the king 
whom God has invested with his sabre to main- 
tain his unity against the idolaters (the Chris- 
tians) who affirm the contrary. And it con- 
tinued thus: — 

"We, Abdallah, son of Abdel Aziz, son of 
Abdel Wahabs, son of Sihoud : We give you to 
know, son of Chahllan, (may the only adorable 
God direct you in the right way!) that if you 
believe in God, you must obey his slave Abdal- 
lah, to whom he has delegated his power, and 
come and see us without fear. You shall be our 
well-beloved son ; we will pardon the past, and 
treat you as one of ourselves. But beware of 
obstinacy and resistance to our call ; for he who 
listens to us is reckoned in the number of the 
inhabitants of paradise. 

" Health. 

u Signed, 
" El Manhoud Menalla Ebn Sihoud Abdallah." 

tents. Crossing the Euphrates before Haiff, we concluded an 
alliance with Alayan Ebn Nadjed, chief of the tribe of Bouhar- 
fea, which reckoned 500 tents. 



179 

On the reception of this letter we held a 
great council of war ; and after having deliber- 
ately weighed all the perils of the journey 
against the advantages of the alliance of Ebn 
Sihoud, the Drayhy determined to comply with 
this authoritative invitation. Sheik Ibrahim 
having asked me if I felt my courage equal to 
undertaking a visit to this fanatic, I replied: 

" I am well aware that my risk is greater 
than that of others, on account of his hatred of 
all Christians; but I put my confidence in God. 
I must die once, and having already made a sa- 
crifice of my life, I am willing to undertake any 
task likely to promote the entire execution of 
the enterprise upon which I have entered." 

A desire of seeing this extraordinary man and 
his curious country also excited my courage, 
and having earnestly recommended my poor 
mother to the protection of M. Lascaris, if I 
should die in this expedition, I set out with the 
Drayhy, his second son Sahdoun, his nephew, 
his cousin, two of the principal chiefs, and five 
negroes, all mounted on dromedaries. During 
his father's absence, Saher was to command the 
tribe, and conduct it to Horran, to meet the 
Drayhy, who proposed returning by the Hegiaz. 
We made our first halt among the Bedouins 
Beny Toulab, whose sole wealth consists in a 
few asses, and who live by hunting gazelles and 
ostriches. They wear the skins of gazelles 
coarsely sewed together, forming long robes with 
very large sleeves ; and the fur being outside, 
their appearance much resembles that of wild 
beasts: I have never seen anything so savage as 
their aspect. They showed us an ostrich hunt. 



180 

in which I was greatly interested. The female 
ostrich lays her eggs in the sand, and takes up 
her station at some distance, looking fixedly 
upon them : she covers them as it were, with 
her eyes, which she never turns from the nest. 
She remains thus immovable for half the day, 
until the male comes to relieve her. She then 
goes in search of food whilst her mate keeps 
guard in his turn. The hunter, when he has 
discovered the eggs, constructs a sort of shed 
with stones to conceal himself, and waits behind 
it for the favourable moment. When the female 
is left alone, and the male at a sufficient distance 
to prevent his taking alarm at the report, he 
draws his trigger, runs to pick up the unfortu- 
nate bird who has received her mortal wound., 
wipes away the blood, and replaces her in her 
former position near the eggs; the male, on his 
return, approaches fearlessly to assume his office 
of guard, when the hunter, who has remained 
in ambuscade, shoots him also, and thus bears 
away a double prize. If the male has had any 
cause of alarm, he runs with velocity to a dis- 
tance; and if pursued, defends himself by 
flinging stones behind him with extraordinary 
force, to the extent of a musket-shot: — it is 
moreover prudent to keep at a distance from 
him when in a state of irritation, for his elevated 
stature and vigorous strength would render a 
close encounter very perilous, especially to the 
hunter's eyes. When the season of the ostrich 
chase is over, the Bedouins carry the feathers 
to Damascus, or even as far as Bagdad, for sale. 
These hunters, when about to marry, pledge 
half the profits of the ensuing year's chase to the 



181 

father of the intended bride, as her dowry. They 
hold the memory of Antar in high veneration, 
and proclaim themselves his descendants: but 
how far the pretension is admissible, I know not. 
They recite, however, numerous fragments of 
his poem. 

After taking leave of them, we still proceeded 
at the rapid pace of our dromedaries, and en- 
camped on the borders of a very extensive lake, 
called Raam Beni Hellal, which receives its wa- 
ters from a mountain which we had skirted. 

The next day, having reached the middle of a 
dry and barren desert, we discovered a little 
oasis, formed by the shrub called jorfa, and had 
arrived within a few paces of it, when our dro- 
medaries suddenly stopped short, which we at 
first attributed to their inclination for resting in 
a spot where the appearance of vegetation an- 
nounced the probable presence of water; but it 
was soon evident that their repugnance arose 
from instinctive terror, manifested by all its out- 
ward tokens : neither caresses nor menaces could 
induce them to stir. My curiosity being excited 
to the highest degree, I alighted to investigate 
the cause of their alarm : but I had no sooner 
entered the thicket, than I involuntarily recoil- 
ed, for the ground was strewed with the skins of 
serpents of all sizes and species. There were 
thousands of them ; some of the thickness of a 
ship's cable, others as small as needles. We 
hurried from the spot, offering up thanksgivings 
to God that the skins alone of these venomous 
reptiles had fallen in our way. No shelter ap- 
pearing as night closed in, we were obliged to 

Q 



182 

pass it in the open desert : but the horrible spec- 
tacle of the thicket was too forcibly impressed 
upon my imagination to permit me to close my 
eyes ; I expected every moment to see an enor- 
mous serpent glide under the covering of my 
tent, and rear its menacing head beside my 
pillow. 

The following day we overtook a considerable 
tribe of Wahabees coming from Samarcand : we 
carefully concealed our pipes from them,, — for 
Ebn Sihoud severely prohibits smoking, and 
punishes any infraction of his laws with death. 
The Emir Medjioun hospitably entertained us, 
but could not suppress his surprise at our hardi- 
hood in thus placing ourselves at the mercy of 
the Wahabee, whose ferocious character he de- 
picted to us in the most frightful terms. He did 
not dissemble that we ran great hazard; Ebn 
Sihoud's deceitful promises, which he lavishes 
without scruple, being no guarantee against the 
most infamous treachery. The Drayhy himself, 
full of loyalty, had advanced on the faith of the 
king's invitation, his imagination never suggest- 
ing the possibility of a breach of promise, and 
began now to repent his too credulous confi- 
dence ; but pride prevented his retreating, and 
we prosecuted our journey. We soon reached 
the Nedgde, a country intersected with moun- 
tains and valleys, studded with nomade camps, 
and abounding in towns and villages, the former 
of which appear to be very ancient, and attest a 
former population much richer and more nume- 
rous than that by which they are now occupied. 
The villages are peopled with Bedouin husband- 
men ; and the soil produces corn, table vegeta- 



183 

bles, and dates in abundance. We were told by 
the inhabitants, that the aborigines had abandon- 
ed their country to establish themselves in Africa, 
under the conduct of one of their princes, named 
Beni Hetal. 

We everywhere experienced a warm-hearted 
hospitality, but heard interminable complaints of 
the tyranny of Ebn Sihoud, under whose domi- 
nion these people seem to be retained by fear 
alone. 

At length after fourteen days' journey, at the 
pace of our dromedaries, which may be reckoned 
at triple the distance traversed by a caravan in 
the same space of time, we arrived in the capital 
of the Wahabees. The city is surrounded and 
concealed by a wood of palms, called the Palm- 
trees of Darkisch, which serves it as a rampart, 
and is so thickly planted as scarcely to admit the 
passage of a horseman between the trunks of the 
trees. Having made our way through these, we 
came to a second barrier, composed of little hil- 
locks of date-stones, resembling a bank of small 
pebbles, and behind it the town-wall, along 
which we rode to the entrance-gate, and, passing 
through it, soon reached the king's palace, a 
large edifice of two stories, built of white hewn 
stones. 

Ebn Sihoud, on being informed of our arrival, 
ordered us to be ushered into an elegant and 
well-furnished apartment, where a plentiful re- 
past was set before us. This beginning seemed 
to augur well, and we congratulated ourselves 
upon not having yielded to the suspicions which 
had been suggested to us. The same night, hav- 
ing suitably attired ourselves, we were presented 



184 

to the king; whom we found to be about forty- 
five years of age, with a harsh countenance, a 
bronzed complexion, and a very black beard. 
He was dressed in a robe fastened round the loins 
by a white sash, a striped turban of red and 
white on his head, and a black embroidered man- 
tle thrown over his left shoulder, holding in his 
right hand the sceptre of the King of Mahlab? 
the ensign of his authority. He was seated, sur- 
rounded by the grandees of his court, at the 
extremity of a large audience-chamber, richly 
furnished with mats, carpets, and cushions. The 
draperies, as well as the king's habiliments, were 
of cotton or the wool of Yemen, — silk being prohi- 
bited in his dominions, together with everything 
that would recall the luxury or customs of the 
Turks. I had leisure for making my observa- 
tions ; for when Ebn Sihoud had answered con- 
cisely and in a chilling tone to the Drayhy's com- 
pliments, we seated ourselves, and waited in 
silence till he should propose a subject of con- 
versation. The Drayhy, however, observing that 
after half an hour had elapsed he neither order- 
ed coffee nor cleared his brow, opened the con- 
ference himself by thus addressing him:— ■ 

" I see, son of Sihoud, that our reception 
from you is not such as we had a right to expect. 
We have travelled through your territories, and 
are come under your roof, upon your own invi- 
tation: if you have anything to allege against us? 
speak — conceal nothing from us." 

Ebn Sihoud, casting a fiery glance at him ? 
replied : 

"Yes, truly, I have many things to allege 
against you: your crimes are unpardonable! 



185 

You have revolted against me ; you have refused 
to obey me, and you have devastated the tribe of 
Sachrer, in Galilee, knowing that it belonged to 
me. 

"You have corrupted the Bedouins, and con- 
federated them against me, and against my au- 
thority. 

" You have destroyed my armies, pillaged my 
camps, and supported my mortal enemies, those 
idolaters, those profaners, those rascals, those 
debauchees, the Turks." 

Growing more and more exasperated as he 
spoke, and accumulating invective upon invec- 
tive, his rage at last exceeded all bounds, and he 
concluded by commanding us to leave his pre- 
sence and await his pleasure. 

I saw the Drayhy's eyes kindle, his nostrils 
swell, and I dreaded every instant an explosion 
of impotent wrath, which could only have served 
to drive the king to extremities; but, reflecting 
that he was entirely defenceless, he refrained 
himself, rose with dignity, and slowly retired to 
meditate what course he should pursue. All men 
trembled before the fury of Ebn Sihoud, and 
none dared to oppose his will. For two days and 
nights we remained in our apartment, hearing 
and seeing nothing. No one cared to approach 
us ; even those w T ho on our first arrival appeared 
most forward in our service, either shunned us, 
or laughed at our easy credulity in the good faith 
of a man whose perfidious and sanguinary charac- 
ter was so well known. We expected momen- 
tarily to see the tyrant's satellites appear to mas- 
sacre us, and sought in vain for some means of 
Q2 



186 

extricating ourselves from his grasp. On the 
third day, the Drayhy, declaring he preferred 
death to suspense, sent for one of the ministers of 
the Wahabee, named Abou el Sallem, and commis- 
sioned him to deliver this message to his master. 

" What you propose to do, do quickly ; I shall 
not reproach you — I shall blame myself alone for 
surrendering myself into your hands." 

El Sallem obeyed, but returned not; and our 
only answer was the sight of twenty-five armed 
negroes, who ranged themselves before our door. 
We were then decidedly prisoners ! — how I de- 
precated the foolish curiosity which had so gra- 
tuitously drawn me into peril ! The Drayhy had 
no fear of death ; but constraint was insupportable 
to him, — he walked to and fro with rapid strides, 
like a lion before the bars of his cage, and at last 
broke out : — 

" lam determined to make an end of the matter; 
I will speak to Ebn Sihoud and reproach him 
with his perfidy ; I see that mildness and patience 
are unavailing, and I am resolved to die with 
dignity." 

Again he summoned El Sallem ; and the mo- 
ment he appeared, u Return to your master, 
said he, " and inform him that by the faith of 
the Bedouins I demand the right of speaking to 
him : there will still be time to follow his own 
pleasure after he has heard me." 

The Wahabee granted an audience, and El 
Sallem introduced us. Arrived in his presence, 
the king left us standing, and made no return t© 
our customary salutations. 

" What do you want?" said he roughly. 



187 

The Drayhy, drawing himself up with dignity? 
replied : 

" I am come to see you, son of Sihoud, on 
the faith of your promises, and with a suite of 
only ten men : I command thousands of warriors. 
We are defenceless in your hands, you are in the 
centre of your power : — you may crush us like 
ashes; but know, that from the frontier of India, 
to the frontier of Nedgde, in Persia, in Bussora, 
in Mesopotamia, Hemad, the two Syrias, Galilee, 
and Horan, every man who wears the caftan will 
demand my blood at your hands, and will take 
vengeance for my death. If you are, as you pre- 
tend, the King of the Bedouins, how can you 
stoop to treachery? that is the vile practice of 
the Turks. Treachery is not for the strong, but 
for the weak or the cowardly. You who boast 
of your armies, and claim to hold your authority 
from God himself, if you would not tarnish your 
glory, restore me to my country, and openly con- 
tend with me by force of arms; for.jiy abusing 
my confidence, you will dishonour yourself, ren- 
der yourself an object of universal contempt, and 
occasion the ruin of your kingdom. I have said: 
now T take your pleasure,— ^-but you will one day 
repent it. I am only one among thousands; my 
death will not diminish my tribe, will not extin- 
guish the race of Cholan. My son Sahen will 
supply my place: he remains to lead my Be- 
douins, and to avenge my blood. Be warned 
then, and open your eyes to the truth." 

During this harangue, the king stroked his 
beard, and gradually calmed himself. After & 
moment's silence : 



188 

" Go in peace," said he ; u nothing but good 
will happen to you." 

We then retired, but were still guarded. 
This successful beginning encouraged the 
courtiers, who had heard with terror the daring 
words of the Drayhy, and were astonished at the 
tyrant's endurance of them. They began again 
to gather round us, and Abou el Sallem invited 
us to dinner. But I did not feel very confident 
on my own score ; I thought indeed Ebn Sihoud 
might not venture upon extremities with the 
Drayhy^ but feared lest he might ascribe his 
wrongs to my counsels, and sacrifice me, an ob- 
scure giaour, to his resentment. These appre- 
hensions I imparted to the Drayhy, who reassured 
me, swearing that no attempt should reach me 
but over his corpse, and that I should first pass 
out through the gates of Darkisch. 

The next day Ebn Sihoud sent for us, received 
us very graciously, and had coffee served to us. 
Presently he began to question the Drayhy about 
the persons who accompanied him. My turn is 
now coming, thought I, and my heart palpitated 
a little. I recovered myself, however; and when 
the Drayhy had named me, the king, turning 
towards me, said : 

" You then are Abdallah the Christian?" 

And on my answering in the affirmative, 

" I see," continued he, " that your actions 
are much greater than your stature." 

" A musket-ball," I replied, "is small, yet it 
kills great men." 

He smiled. 

u I find it very difficult," he resumed, a to 
credit all that I hear of you : I would have you 



189 

answer me frankly; what is the object of the alli- 
ance which you have been labouring so many 
years to accomplish?" 

" Its object is very simple," answered I. "We 
are desirous to unite all the Bedouins of Syria 
under the command of the Drayhy, to resist the 
Turks ; you may perceive that we are by these 
means forming an impenetrable barrier between 
you and your enemies." 

" Very well," said he; " but that being your 
object, why did you endeavour to destroy my 
armies before Hama?" 

" Because," I replied, " you were an obstacle 
to our projects. It was not for you, but for the 
Drayhy, that we were labouring. His power 
once established in Syria, Mesopotamia, and to 
the confines of Persia, we were willing to enter 
into alliance with you, and become by that means 
invulnerable in the possession of our entire liber- 
ty. Children of the same nation, we have but 
one cause to defend : for this purpose we came 
here to cement an indissoluble union with you. 
You received us in an offensive manner, and the 
Drayhy on his part has reproached you in offen- 
sive terms; but our intentions were sincere, and 
we have proved them so by confiding ourselves 
unarmed to your good faith." 

The king's countenance cleared up more and 
more as I spoke ; and when I had ceased, he said, 

" I am satisfied." 

Then, turning to his slaves, he ordered three 
cups of coffee. I internally thanked God for in- 
spiring me with words that proved so successful. 
The rest of the visit passed off well, and we re- 
tired well satisfied. In the evening we were in- 



190 

vited by one of the ministers to a grand supper, 
and confidentially entertained with the cruelties 
of his master, and the universal execration in 
which he was held. His immense treasures were 
also a topic of discussion : those he had acquired 
by the pillage of Mecca are incalculable. From 
the earliest period of the Hegira, Mussulman 
princes, the caliphs, the sultans, and the kings of 
Persia, send annually to the tomb of the Prophet 
considerable presents in jewels, lamps, and can- 
delabras of gold, precious stones, &c. besides the 
offerings from the commonalty of the faithful. 
The throne alone, the gift of a Persian king, 
composed of massive gold, inlaid with pearls and 
diamonds, was of inestimable value. Every 
prince on his accession sends a crown of gold, 
enriched with precious stones, to be suspended 
from the roofs of the chapel, and they were in- 
numerable when Ebn Sihoud plundered it: one 
diamond alone, as large as a walnut, was consi- 
dered invaluable. When we consider all that the 
lapse of centuries had accumulated on that one 
point, it is not surprising that the king should 
have carried away forty camels laden with jew- 
ellery, besides articles of massive gold and silver. 
Taking into calculation these inexhaustible trea- 
sures, and the tithes which he raises annually 
from his allies, I think he may be regarded as 
the richest monarch upon earth; especially as 
his expenses are very trifling, — as he rigorously 
prohibits luxury, and as in time of war each tribe 
furnishes subsistence for its armies, and bears 
all its own charges and losses, for which no 
compensation is ever recovered. 

So delighted was I with the recovery of my 



191 

liberty? that I spent all the next day in walking 
about and visiting every part of Darkisch and its 
environs. The town, built of white stone, con- 
tains, seven thousand inhabitants, almost all kins- 
men, ministers, or generals of Ebn Sihoud. No 
artizans are found there. The only trades exer- 
cised in the town are those of armourers and far- 
riers, and few persons are engaged even in them. 
Nothing is to be purchased, not even food, for 
which every one depends on his own means, — 
that is to say, upon an estate or garden, produ- 
cing corn, vegetables and fruits, and aifording 
nourishment to a few fowls. Their numerous 
herds browse in the plain; and every Wednesday 
the inhabitants of Yemen and Mecca assemble to 
exchange their merchandise for cattle; a species 
of fair, which forms the sole commerce of the 
country. The women appear unveiled, but 
throw their black mantles over their faces, — a 
very disgraceful custom : they are generally ugly 
and excessively dark-complexioned. The gar- 
dens, situated in a charming valley near the 
town, on the opposite side to that by which we 
had entered, produce the finest fruits in the 
world, — bananas, oranges, pomegranates, figs, 
apples, melons, &c. intermixed with barley and 
maize, — and are carefully watered. 

The next morning, the king again summoned 
us to him, received us very graciously, and ques- 
tioned me closely respecting the various Euro- 
pean sovereigns, especially Napoleon, for whom 
he testified great admiration. Nothing delighted 
him so much as the recital of the emperor's con- j 
quests; and happily my frequent intercourse with 
M. Lascaris had furnished me with many details 



192 

to entertain him with. At the account of every 
battle, he would exclaim— 

" Surely this man is an emissary of God : I am 
persuaded he must be in intimate communion 
with his Creator, since he is thus singularly fa- 
voured." 

His affability towards me having gradually but 
rapidly increased, he suddenly changed the sub- 
ject of conversation, and said at last, 

" Abdallah, I desire to hear the truth from 
you: what is the basis of Christianity ?" 

Aware of the Wahabee's prejudices, I trem- 
bled at this question; but mentally praying for 
divine inspiration, 

" The basis of all religion, son of Sihoud!" 
I said, " is belief in God. The Christians deem, 
as you do, that there is one only God, the Crea- 
tor of the universe; who punishes the wicked, 
pardons the penitent, and recompenses the good: 
that He alone is great, merciful, and almighty." 

"Very well," said he; "but how do you 
pray ?" 

I repeated the Pater-noster : he made his se- 
cretary write at my dictation, read and re-read 
it, and placed it inside his vest; then, pursuing 
his interrogatory, asked me to which side we 
turned to pray. 

"We pray on all sides," answered I, "for 
God is everywhere." 

" That opinion I entirely approve," said he : 
"but you must have precepts as well as prayers." 

I repeated the ten commandments given by 
God to his prophet Moses, which he appeared to 
know, and continued his inquiries. 



193 

"And Jesus Christ, — in what light do you 
consider him ?" 

" As the Incarnate Word of God." 

" But he was crucified ?" 

" As the Divine Word, he could not die; but 
as man, he suffered for the sins of the wicked." 

u That is marvellous. And the sacred book 
which God inspired through Jesus Christ, is it 
revered among you ? — do you exactly conform 
to its doctrine ?" 

" We preserve it with the greatest reverence, 
and in all things obey its injunctions." 

" The Turks," said he, " have made a god of 
their prophet, and pray over his tomb like idola- 
ters. Cursed be those who ascribe to the Creator 
an equal ! may the sabre exterminate them !" 

His invectives against the Turks increasing in 
vehemence, he proceeded to censure the use of 
the pipe, of wine, and of unclean meats ; while I 
was too happy in having adroitly extricated my- 
self from "the discussion of dangerous questions, 
to presume to contradict him on insignificant 
points, and allowed him to believe me a despiser 
of that villanous herb, as he called tobacco; 
which drew a smile from the Drayhy, who was 
well aware that the present prohibition of it was 
the greatest possible privation to me, and that I 
availed myself of every opportunity which pro- 
mised impunity to withdraw my beloved pipe 
from its concealment: that day, in particular* 
my longing for it was extreme, having talked 
much and drunk very strong Mocha coffee. 

The king appeared delighted with our con- 
versation, and said to me, — "I see that we may 

R 



194 

always learn something. I have hitherto be- 
lieved the Christians to be the most superstitious 
of men ; but I am now convinced that they ap- 
proach much nearer to the true religion than 
the Turks. " 

Ebn Sihoud is on the whole a well-informed 
and very eloquent man, but fanatical in his re- 
ligious opinions : he has a legitimate wife and a 
concubine ; two sons, both married, and a daugh- 
ter still young. He eats nothing but what is pre- 
pared by his wives, for fear of being poisoned. 
The guard of his palace is committed to a troop 
of a thousand well-armed negroes. He can raise 
within his territories fifteen hundred thousand 
Bedouins capable of bearing arms. When he in- 
tends to nominate the governor of a province, 
he invites the person on whom his choice has 
fallen to dinner, and after the repast they unite 
in ablutions and prayer ; after which the king, 
arming him with a sabre, says to him, — 

"I have elected you, by command of God, to 
govern these slaves: be humane and just; gather 
punctually the tithe, and cut off the heads of 
Turks and infidels who say that God has an 
equal — let none such establish themselves within 
your jurisdiction. May the Lord give victory 
to those who believe in his unity l" 

He then delivers to him a small writing, en- 
joining the inhabitants to obey the governor in 
all things, under the severest penalties. 

The next day we visited the king's stables \ 
and I think it would be impossible for an amateur 
of horses to have a more gratifying sight. The 
first objects of attention were twenty-four white 
mares, ranged in single file, all of incomparable 



195 

beauty, and so exactly alike that it was not pos- 
sible to distinguish the one from the other: their 
hair, brilliant as silver, dazzled my eyes. A 
hundred and twenty others, of various coats, but 
equally elegant in form, occupied another build- 
ing; and even I, notwithstanding my antipathy 
to horses since the accident which had so nearly 
cost my life, could not help admiring the beauti- 
ful tenants of these stables. 

We supped that evening with Hedal, the gene- 
ral-in-chief, who was reconciled with the Dray- 
hy ; and the famous Abou Nocta, who was of the 
party, was extremely polite to him. For several 
days we met in secret conclave, treating with 
Ebn Sihoud; but the details of the negotiation 
would be superfluous. It is sufficient to say, that 
an alliance was concluded between him and the 
Drayhy to their mutual satisfaction, and the king 
declared that their two bodies would be hence- 
forth directed by one soul. The treaty being 
ratified, he invited us for the first time to eat 
with him, and tasted each dish before it waif 
offered to us. As he had never seen any one eat 
otherwise than with their fingers, I carved a 
spoon and fork out of a piece of wood, spread 
my handkerchief for a napkin, and ate my din- 
ner after the European fashion, which highly 
diverted him. 

" Thanks be to God!" said he, u every nation 
believes its customs the best possible, and each 
is therefore content with its condition." 
v Our departure being fixed for the following 
day, the king sent us as a present seven of his 
most beautiful mares, their bridles held by as 
many black slaves mounted on camels ; and when 



196 

each of us had made his choice, we were pre- 
sented with sabres, the blades of which were 
very handsome, but the scabbards quite unorna- 
mented. To our servants also he gave more 
ordinary sabres, saddle-cloths, and a hundred 
tallarins each. 

We took leave of Ebn Sihoud with the cus- 
tomary ceremonies, and were accompanied be- 
yond the walls by all the officers of his court. 
Arrived at the gates, the Drayhy stopped, and 
turning to me, invited me to pass first, wishing, 
he told me, with a smile, to keep his promise. 
And I confess, that all the civilities we had 
latterly received, had not so far effaced from my 
mind the impression of the suspense and anguish 
we had previously experienced, but that I re- 
joiced to find myself beyond the barriers. 

We took the road to Heggias, resting every 
night with one of the tribes which overspread 
the desert. The fifth day, after passing the 
night under the tents of El Henadi, we rose with 
the sun, and went out to saddle our dromedaries ; 
but found them, to our great amazement, with 
their heads plunged deeply into the sand, from 
whence it was impossible to disengage them. 
Calling to our aid the Bedouins of the tribe, 
they informed us that the circumstance pre- 
saged the simoom, which would not long delay its 
devastating course, and that we could not pro- 
ceed without facing certain death. Providence 
has endowed the camel with an instinctive 
presentiment for its preservation. It is sensible 
two or three hours beforehand of the approach 
of this terrific scourge of the desert, and turning 
its face away from the wind, buries itself in the 



197 

sand ; and neither force nor want can move it 
from its position, either to eat or drink, while the 
tempest lasts, though it should be for several days. 

Learning the danger which threatened us, we 
shared the general terror, and hastened to adopt 
all the precautions enjoined us. Horses must not 
only be placed under shelter, but have their 
heads covered and their ears stopped ; they would 
otherwise be suffocated by the whirlwinds of fine 
and subtle sand which the wind sweeps furiously 
before it. Men assemble under their tents, 
stopping up every crevice with extreme cau- 
tion; and having provided themselves with water 
placed within reach, throw themselves on the 
ground, covering their heads with a mantle, 
and stir no more till the desolating hurricane 
has passed. 

That morning all was tumult in the camp ; 
every one endeavouring to provide for the safety 
of his beasts, and then precipitately retiring 
under the protection of his tent. We had 
scarcely time to secure our beautiful Nedgde 
mares before the storm began. Furious gusts of 
wind were succeeded by clouds of red and 
burning sands, whirling round with fierce im- 
petuosity, and overthrowing or burying under 
their drifted mountains whatever they encoun- 
tered. If any part of the body is by accident 
exposed to its touch, the flesh swells as if a hot 
iron had been passed over it. The water in- 
tended to refresh us with its coolness was boil- 
ing, and the temperature of the tent exceeded 
that of a Turkish bath. The tempest lasted ten 
hours in its greatest fury, and then graduallv 
r2 



198 

sunk for the following six: another hour, and 
we must all have been suffocated. When at 
length we ventured to issue from our tents, a 
dreadful spectacle awaited us: five children, 
two women, and a man were extended dead on 
the still burning sand ; and several Bedouins had 
their faces blackened and entirely calcined, as 
if by the action of an ardent furnace. When 
any one is struck on the head by the simoom, 
the blood flows in torrents from his mouth and 
nostrils, his face swells and turns black, and he 
soon dies of suffocation. We thanked the Lord 
that we had not ourselves been surprised by this 
terrible scourge in the midst of the desert, but 
had been preserved from so frightful a death. 

When the weather permitted us to leave the 
camp of Henadi, twelve hours' march brought 
us back to our tribe. I embraced Sheik Ibra- 
him with true filial love, and several days 
elapsed in the mutual recital of our adventures. 
When I had perfectly recovered my fatigues, 
M. Lascaris said to me : 

u My dear son, we have no longer any busi- 
ness here. Thanks be to God, all is accom- 
plished ! and my enterprise has succeeded be- 
yond my most sanguine hopes: we must now 
return to give an account of our mission. " 

We quitted our friends in the hope of soon 
seeing them at the head of the expedition to 
which we had opened and smoothed the way. 
Passing through Damascus, Aleppo, and Cara- 
mania, we reached Constantinople in the month 
of April, after ninety days' travelling, fre- 
quently across tracts of snow. In the course of 
that fatiguing journey I lost my handsome Nedg- 



199 

dian mare, the gift of Ebn Sihoud, which I had 
calculated on selling for at least thirty thousand 
piastres : but this was only the forerunner of the 
misfortunes which awaited us. Constantinople 
was ravaged by the plague; and General An- 
dreossi lodged us at Keghat-Kani, where we 
spent three months in quarantine, and, during 
that time, were informed of the fatal catastrophe 
of Moscow and the retreat of the French army 
upon Paris. M. Lascaris was in despair, and 
for two months his plan of proceeding was quite 
undecided. At length, determining to return 
into Syria, and there wait the issue of events, 
we embarked on board a vessel freighted with 
corn ; but a violent storm drove us to Chios, 
where we again encountered the plague. M. 
de Bourville, the French consul, procured us a 
lodging, in which we remained for two months 
closely shut up ; and there, our property having 
become a prey to the tempest, while contagion 
cut us off from all external communication, we 
were nearly without clothing, and exposed to 
the greatest privations. 

Communications were at length restored ; and 
M. Lascaris having received a letter from our 
consul-general at Smyrna, inviting him to a con- 
ference there with the Generals Lallemand and 
Savary, determined to comply, and allowed me 
meanwhile to visit my poor mother, whom I had 
not seen for six years. 

My travels no longer offering any thing of 
interest to the public, I shall pass over the inter- 
val which elapsed between my separation from 
M. Lascaris and my return to Syria, and hasten 
to the melancholy conclusion. 



200 

While staying at Latakia with my mother, 
and daily expecting the arrival of a ship that 
might transport me to Egypt, where I had been 
ordered by M. Lascaris to rejoin him, I saw a 
French brig of war enter the port, and hastened 
to inquire for letters. Alas ! those letters 
brought me the afflicting intelligence of the 
decease of my benefactor at Cairo. My grief 
baffled description: I entertained a filial affec- 
tion for M. Lascaris ; besides which, all my fu- 
ture prospects had expired with him. M. Dro- 
vetti, French consul in Alexandria, wrote to 
desire I would come to him as soon as possible; 
but it was forty days before I could find an op- 
portunity of embarking, and when I reached 
Alexandria, M. Drove tti had set out for Upper 
Egypt; thither I followed, and overtook him at 
Asscout. He informed me that M. Lascaris 
having entered Egypt with an English passport, 
Mr. Salt, the English consul, had taken posses- 
sion of all his effects. He persuaded it . , there- 
fore, to apply to that gentleman for payment of 
my stipend of five hundred tallarins per annum, 
which was nearly six years in arrear ; and espe- 
cially recommended me to insist strongly on the 
restitution of M. Lascaris's manuscript journal, 
a document of vast importance. 

I immediately returned to Cairo ; but Mr. 
Salt received me very coldly, and told me that 
M. Lascaris having died under English protec- 
tion, he had transmitted his property and papers 
to England. All my attempts were therefore fu- 
tile ; and after a long detention at Cairo, in the 
vain hope of obtaining either payment of my 
arrears or the papers of my patron, Mr. Salt at 



201 

last menaced me with procuring my arrest by 
the Egyptian authorities ; and to the protection 
of M. Drovetti alone I owe my escape from this 
new peril. Weary of so profitless a struggle, I 
returned to Latakia and my family, more un- 
happy and less rich than I had at first quitted 
it on my expedition to Aleppo. 

END OF FATALLA SATEGHIB-'s STORY. 



NOTE. 

It was my intention to have added here a few 
translations, for the purpose of giving the reader 
some idea of modern Arabian poetry ; but I un- 
derstand that an able hand, and one more prac- 
tised than mine, is already employed on the task. 
A volume, entitled A Miscellany of French and 
Oriental Literature, by J. Augoub, will appear 
in a few days.* I was acquainted with the 
author, a young poet of the highest promise, 
prematurely snatched from his family and his 
fame. He was born in Egypt, and had been 
educated in France. The original fragments 
which he has left behind, and doubtless also 
these translations, breathe the deep and ardent 
colouring of his native skies, combined with the 
purity of French taste. These works, published 
by his widow, are the only legacy he has 
bequeathed to his family and his country. 

I have inserted fn these volumes a few frag- 
ments extracted from the publication here an- 
nounced, assured that they will but stimulate the 
reader's desire for a further acquaintance with 
them. A. de Lamartjne. 

15th April, 1835. 

* Published by Abel Ledoux. 



202 
MAOULS, 

Or Popular Romances of the Modem Arabs ; extracted from a Collection entitled, 
" A Miscellany of French and Oriental Literature," by /. Augoub* 

Now that thy stature, like the young shoot of 
a palm, is slender and graceful, grant me thy 
caresses. my best beloved, let us make use 
of time as it flies ! Close not against love the 
avenue to thy favour. Believe me, beauty is 
evanescent ; its empire has never yet been pro- 
longed for a mortal. 

They have compared thee to the queen of the 
nightly firmament ; but how greatly do they err 
in their language ! Has the moon those beauti- 
ful black eyes, with their sparkling pupils? 
The rushes bend and sway before the gentlest 
breath of the zephyr ; thou, who resemblest 
them by thy slight figure — thou seest all men 
bend before thee ! 

If the torment of my heart causes happiness 
to thine, torment me ; for my happiness is 
bound up in thine, — if, indeed, thine is not far 
dearer to me than my own. If thou wishest to 
take my life — if the sacrifice of it is necessary 
to thee — take it, thou who alone art my life, 
and incense not thyself against me ! 

What harm would it be, young beauty, if 
thou shouldest treat me with more justice? 
Thou wouldest cure my grievous malady by a 
remedy which would relieve me from the neces- 
sity of having recourse to the Canon of Avicene.* 
Whenever I contemplate thy beautiful eye- 
brows, I recognize in them the graceful contour 
of the houn ;f and thy voice is sweeter to my 
ear than the sound of the harp and the cithern. f 

* The celebrated treatise on medicine by Ebn Sina. 

f This Arabic letter is of a bent form. % A stringed instrument 



203 

When my best beloved passed by, the branch 
of the neighbouring willow was jealous of her 
delicate figure ; the rose bent her head for shame 
when she saw the bright colour of her cheek; 
and I exclaimed, — thou who beyond recovery 
hast captivated my soul, the glance of thine eye 
has opened a wound in my bosom which will not 
be cured to the end of my life! 

I love, I love an adolescent, and my passion 
burns like a flame at the bottom of my heart. 
When love glided into my bosom, scarcely did 
the tender down shade the cheek of my lover. 
Oh, I love! and it is for thee, my well-beloved, 
that my tears flow; and I swear by Him who 
created love, that my heart has never known ten- 
derness but for thee! I offer to thee my first flame. 

When the night deepens its shadows, it is to 
imitate the blackness of thy curling locks ; when 
the day shines in its purest splendour, it is to 
recall to mind the dazzling brightness of thy 
countenance : the exhalations of the aloes are less 
sweet than the perfume of thy breath; and the 
lover, enamoured of thy charms, shall pass his life 
in recounting thy praises. 

My best-beloved comes forth, but her counte- 
nance is veiled; yet at sight of her all minds are 
bewildered. The slender branch in the Valley 
of Camels becomes jealous of her flexible and at- 
tractive form. Suddenly she raises her hand 
and removes the curious veil which concealed 
her, and the inhabitants of the land utter cries 
of surprise. Is it a flash of lightning, say they, 
which illuminates our dwellings? or have the 
Arabs lighted fires in the desert? 



204 







Number 


Trobable 


Names 


Names of Commanders 


of Tents 


Number of 


of Tribes. 


of Tribes. 


in each 


Persons in 






Tribe. 


each Tribe. 


El-Ammour - 


Soultan El-Brrak - 


500 


5,000 


El-Hassne 


Mehamma El Fadel Eben 








Melhgem - 


1,500 


15,000 


Would Aly - 


Douhi Eben Sammir 


5,000 


50,000 


El-Serhaan - 


Adgham Eben Ali 


1,200 


12,000 


El-Sarddie - 


Fedghem Eben Sarraage 


1,800 


18,000 


Benni Sakhrer 


Sellame Eben Fakhrer - 


2,700 


27,000 


El-Doualla - 


Drayhy Eben Chahllan 


5,000 


50,000 


El-Harba 


Fares El-Harba - 


4,000 


40,000 


El-Sualleme - 


Auad Eben Giandal 


1,500 


15,000 


El-Ollama 


Taffaissan Eben Sarraage 


1,400 


14,000 


Abdelle - - 


Selam Eben Mehgiel - 


1,200 


12,000 


El-Refacha - 


Zarrak 


800 


8,000 


El-Wualde - 


Giandal El-Mehidi 


1,600 


16,000 


El-Mofanfakhr 


Hammoud El-Tammer - 


5,000 


50,000 


El-Cherarah - 


Abedd Eben Sobaihi - 


2,300 


23,000 


El-Achgaha - 


Dehass Eben Ali - 


2,000 


20,000 


El-Salca - - 


Giassem Eben Geraimess 


3,000 


30,000 


El-Giomllan - 


Zarrak Ebn Fakhrer 


1,200 


12,000 


El-Giahma - - 


Giarah Eben Mehgiel - 


1,500 


15,000 


El-Ballahiss - 


Ghaleb Eben Ramdoun 


1,400 


14,000 


El-Maslekhr - 


Faress Eben Nadjed 


2,000 


20,000 


El-Khrassa r - 


Zehayran Eben Houad 


2,000 


20,000 


El-Mahlac - 


Nabec Eben Habed 


3,000 


30,000 


El-Merackhrat 


Roudan Eben Soultan . - 


1,500 


15,000 


El-Zeker - - 


Motlac Eben Fayhan 


800 


8,000 


El-Bechakez 


Faress Eben Aggib 


500 


5,000 


El-Chiamssi - 


Cassem El-Wukban 


1,000 


10,000 


El-Fuaher - - 


Sallame El-Nahessan 


600 


6,000 


El-Salba - - 


Mehanna El-Saneh 


800 


8,000 


El-Fedhan - - 


Douackhry Eben Ghabiai'n - 


5,000 


50,000 


El-Salkeh - - 


Ali Eben Geraimess 


3,000 


30,000 


El-Messahid - 


Nehaiman Eben Fehed 


3,500 


35,000 


El-Sabha - - 


Mohdi Eben Hei'd 


^,000 


40,000 


Benni Dehabb 


Chatti Eben Harab 


5,000 


50,000 


El-Fekaka - - 


Astaoui Eben Tayar 


1,500 


15,000 


El-Hamamid - 


Chatti Eben Faress 


15,00 


15,000 


El-Daffir - - 


Auad Eben Motlac 


23,00 


23,000 


El-Hegiager - 


Sellame Eben Barac 


800 


8,000 


El-Khrezahel 


Khrenkiar El-Alimy 


3,000 


30,000 


Benni Tay - 


Hamdi Eben Tamer 


4,000 


40,000 


El-Huarig - - 


Habac Eben Mahdan _ - 


3,500 


35,000 


El-Mehazez - 


Redaini Eben Khronkiar 


6,000 


60,000 


El-Berkaze - 


Sahdoun Eben Wuali - 


1,300 


13,000 


EkNahimm - 


Faheh Eben Saleh 


300 


3,000 


Bouharba - - 


Aly an Eben Nadjed 


500 


5,000 




102,000 


1,020,000 







[ m&*r 



